The Red Light District
by antagonistic
Summary: [SasuNaru, Hyuugacest] It's the place in downtown Tokyo where infidelity and dishonesty take hold of unfaithful men and women. Naruto and Hinata have both accepted their lots in life... until they reencounter pasts they thought they'd forgotten.
1. His Story and Hers

_The Red Light District_  
**Genres**: Romance, Angst, Tragedy  
**Pairings**: Sasuke/Naruto, Neji/Hinata, mentions of miscellaneous others  
**Warnings**: Shounen-ai, yaoi, incest, adult themes, angst, lemon, language  
**Disclaimer**: Characters and names all belong to their respective owners.

- - -

CHAPTER ONE – HIS STORY and HERS

When people asked him what he did for a living, he never really knew what to say. If he were to answer truthfully, people looked at him, cringed and found some reason to excuse themselves, making sure their million-yen shoes didn't get dirty. Yes, that was the truth. He was dirty. It was only right to be alienated and shunned like that. Then again, only the men seemed to have a problem with him. Well, _most_ men, that is. With the women, it was a whole different story altogether: they—invariably—gawked lustily at him for a moment then "looked away in disgust", as if the action prior that hadn't occurred at all. It was never a surprise for Uzumaki Naruto to see those same women again the very next day… as customers. Or _guests_ as "Jiraiya-_sama_" insisted he called them.

In all honesty, Naruto did not really care.

"Ohhh! Naruto… _kun_!" one of his more regular guests was on top of him, moaning. She had tied him up, prostrated and completely naked on the bed, and had begun to touch him in places he really rathered not be touched. Her hand ran hungrily up and down his firm abdomen while she half-kissed, half-licked his strong outstretched arms. Naruto hated these sadistic women. However, he was forced to admit that, well, it was good pay. They always felt obligated to give him little... gifts... for bearing with their sadist fantasies—fantasies they apparently could not fulfill with their less than able husbands. Oh yes, Naruto heard much about stupid, idiotic and incapable fag husbands (and catered to quite a few of them, too) and the women loved the fact that Uzumaki Naruto, the great gigolo, would do anything their small, demented hearts desired. Well, almost anything. He definitely did not allow "spanking" (much to the frustration of quite a few) and no way in hell would he allow a whip of any sort within twenty feet of his person. But still, women could come up with rather... frightening things when they were allowed to. The only reason he bore with these women was the fact the "gifts" he received were the only things that bastard _Ero-sennin_ did not know about. Naruto learned the hard way not to share anything with that frog freak. Now, don't get him wrong; Naruto was more than grateful to Jiraiya for taking him in when no one else seemed to care he existed. But... sometimes, just sometimes, Naruto wondered what in the hell he'd gotten himself into.

Naruto sighed as he washed himself, rubbing his skin raw just to get rid of the lingering perfume the previous woman left on him. Why did Naruto do this? Was there really no way out of this whorehouse? When the _Ero-sennin_ took him in, it was because of his blonde hair and blue eyes. Apparently, in the Red Light District of downtown Tokyo, not many foreigners _provided_ service. Jiraiya spied him on the streets alone (hungry and unconscious, among other things) one day and thought he found himself a rare treasure. Whenever Jiraiya questioned him about his origins, Naruto merely shrugged. He had no clue where he came from. He did not know who his parents were, he did not know if he had any family. And after such a long time of being alone, Naruto had stopped caring. Naruto was only twelve when Jiraiya "discovered" him and took him on as an apprentice. Since then, so many things had happened that Naruto didn't even remember the details of that first time he met the strange frog hermit. What he did remember however, he knew he would probably never forget. He dreamt about it almost every night, after all. He had been looking for something—or maybe someone—whatever or whoever it was, it was important and Naruto couldn't find it—or him. He had been running around, lost and for some reason, feeling betrayed. Then, he'd collapsed quite suddenly, probably because of hunger. The next thing he knew, Naruto was working at Jiraiya's house. There was a blank in his memory and he knew this… however, he didn't care. Back then, as long as he got his ramen, Naruto was pleased. Life was simple and it didn't take much for him to be content. Being twelve and naive did that to a person, he supposed.

But that changed when he turned sixteen—that day, Jiraiya had called him to his office and told him that he had a special job for him.

"Naruto, this is Hinata-_chan_," Jiraiya pointed to the small, pale girl who was standing next to him. Naruto had never seen anyone look so innocent and so fragile before. He wondered what she was doing here—Naruto may have been an idiot, but he wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what this "house" was for. And it was definitely not a place for innocent-looking girls like her.

"Nice to meet you," she said ever so softly. Naruto had to strain his ears to hear her.

"Pleasure's mine," Naruto replied. Could they please get over the formalities already? What did Jiraiya want?

Jiraiya smirked at Naruto's expression. "Naruto, you're not a kid anymore. You just turned sixteen." He looked to his right, "Hinata's your age. She's new, as you can see... but she came to us at... just the right time... I'm sure you understand."

Naruto hated to admit it, but yes, he did. Staying in this sort of place, little kids unconsciously began to understand things they soon learned to wish they'd remained ignorant of. Naruto was afraid of where the strange conversation was going.

"I don't want both of your first times to be with complete strangers—I'm not one of those people who sell virginity," Jiraiya continued. "Besides, those with experience tend to reel in the clients faster. So... you know what to do. You can both get to know each other a bit first, if you like. _However_," he eyed them both. Hinata was blushing. Naruto was clenching his fists. "Christmas is coming soon... and you _know_ how lonely people can get during Christmas. You guys have two weeks."

Naruto stared at him. He... was kidding, right? He wasn't saying what Naruto thought he was saying... right? He looked at Hinata in dismay to find that she was staring at the floor. Her pale face was redder than anything Naruto had ever seen before. He didn't know anyone could blush as much as she did then. He also wanted to punch Jiraiya's face in for implying something like that. True, Naruto was a guy and every healthy guy his age would be at least "curious" to discover the mysteries of the opposite sex... but... to force a girl like _her_ into doing something like this? Jiraiya was nastier than Naruto ever thought he was.

Eventually, Hinata and he were ushered out of the office and left alone on the catwalk which led to the other houses. Jiraiya's property was relatively large and consisted of several houses all connected to each other. Jiraiya's personal home was of course the largest and was in the northern section of the compound. Quite conveniently, it was connected to the workers' (that is, maids, servants, cooks) dorms and also to the residences of Jiraiya's "children". Naruto was pretty sure Jiraiya took advantage of those connections not only during the day when he'd walk around making sure everything was running smoothly, but also during the night when he was just a little drunk. Or horny.

"_Anno_," Hinata broke the silence, "Uzumaki... N-Naruto... _kun_?" She looked at him with a blush, subsiding but still present, on her cheeks. Naruto couldn't help but think how adorable she was—he felt an overwhelming need to _protect_ her. He suddenly felt sick as he recalled what he was supposed to do.

Naruto tried to smile, "Hinata-_chan_, right?"

She nodded, looking embarrassed. Oh gosh, she was adorable.

"You hungry?"

- - -

"Hinata-_chan_! Please hurry! You'll be late!"

Hinata smiled and nodded as she quickened her pace. Tying her hair back, she looked at herself in the mirror. Behind the thick white makeup and the red lips, she couldn't see her ordinarily pale complexion. She nodded once again as if to convince herself she had successfully put her mask on, then smiled her signature smile—elegant but understated, experienced yet shy. Yes, she could still do it. She got up, put her brushes and colours away, and then got ready to face the rest of the day.

She'd first come here two years ago, a little while after her sixteenth birthday. Circumstances had forced her out of her home and she had wandered the streets of Tokyo for several days before finally collapsing in front of Jiraiya-_sama_'s house. Of course, at the time, she hadn't known where she was. However, she remembered fairly clearly how she had been lifted off the ground and put on her feet again. An old man with thick white hair forced some bread into her hands and told her to go away.

"This isn't the place for a good girl like you."

She looked at him, bewildered. Mustering up courage she didn't know she had, she muttered, "Good girl? How can you be so sure I am one?" The old man raised an eyebrow and started laughing—it was a nice, genuine and hearty laugh. She looked at him and huffed indignantly, "We just met!"

He patted her head. "I like your spirit, girl. But, trust me... I know good women when I see them. I've been working with them all my life, after all." He smiled and winking at her, pointed behind him towards his house, using his thumb. Realization dawned on Hinata's face and a pretty little blush presented themselves on her pale cheeks.

She looked back at the old man and asked, "Where am I? Who are you?"

He smiled, pity in his eyes, "Welcome to the Red Light District. I'm Jiraiya. That there is _Konoha_, my... house."

She gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. The Red Light District? She'd only ever _heard_ of the place...

The strange man turned, "Better go back home. Your family's probably worried about you."

Jiraiya's statement brought Hinata back. She grabbed unto the sleeve of his red shirt quite without meaning to and not looking at him, she whispered, "Please, sir, I've no where to go."

Jiraiya paused and turning around to look at her, asked, "Are you sure?"

She looked up him, unblinking, "Yes."

"Ahh... Hinata_-chan_. I thought you'd never come."

She smiled in response, reminiscence interrupted, and allowed her "guest" to take her arm. She frowned a bit and pouted, then she looked down as if embarrassed. "I'm really sorry. You hate me now, don't you?"

Her guest looked at her and held her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "That's not possible." He grinned as if he was some prince charming from far away. Hinata tried to force her meagre breakfast back down. She should've been used to these kinds of things by now... but there _were_ times when she'd been disgusted with herself for what she did to her body... or rather, allowed her clients to do to her. It was nauseating. _Especially_ if she was forced to cater to people who thought they were the most delightful gentlemen on the planet. And sometimes, she just couldn't help feeling guilty when she thought about the families some of "her" men left behind on a weekly basis.

"_Ohayou_, Hinata-_chan_!" a sunny voice interrupted her depressing thoughts.

Hinata looked up to see a smiling Naruto. Her heart skipped a beat. Or two.

"_Ohayou gozaimasu_, Naruto-_kun_," she smiled back, heart beating quickly. She was thankful for her make up. Without them, she knew Naruto would not fail to see how she was blushing. She didn't think she could stand the embarrassment. She watched as Naruto nodded at her and then at her client and continued his walk. Since he was coming from one of the rooms, he'd probably just finished with a job. She sighed. Being sought-after and popular must've been hard on Naruto. It was so early in the morning, and yet some women still came often to bother him. Hinata's shoulders sagged. That was right, wasn't it? Naruto slept with a lot of women. Lots and lots of them. She couldn't help feeling a little heart broken at the thought that she was "just another one" that was forced on him. She still recalled the day she'd first met him. She'd blushed like a poor little girl who didn't know what to do. She was lost and afraid and definitely doubted whether she'd done the right thing by following the strange, white-haired man into his office. But often, Hinata mused that Naruto made joining Jiraiya-­_sama_'s family worth it. Or, at the very least, Naruto made this hellish life bearable.

They reached their designated room and her client wasted no time latching his mouth—in a most disgusting manner—against her neck and immediately began to undress her.

She feigned a gasp and moan, trying to hide her seething revulsion.

"Sir! We're not even in the room yet..."

"Hush, Hin-_chan_. I had a bad day at work today and I'm in a really foul mood."

Hinata moaned—this time inwardly and not because of pleasure. Not again. And damn, she hated that nickname. Eventually, she managed to open the door enough so she could be pushed in. The client quickly closed the door behind him, not once letting go of Hinata's neck, and began to undress the both of them simultaneously. He was making a very messy and very ineffective job of it, but she did not complain—she knew it would only encourage him more. She stood there, leaning against the wall, shutting her eyes, and waited (or rather, wished) for it to be over. Since he was in a bad mood, she was at least not forced to do any foreplay. She tried to hide her grunt as he roughly forced himself inside her, making her wince in pain. She recalled the first time she'd made love. Or rather, had sex. She often did, if only to relieve some of the pain. It was silly, she knew... but she couldn't help it if most of what she ever thought about was Naruto.

- - -

He smiled at Hinata and her latest client—it was a necessary courtesy; though he hadn't wanted to, he had to—and walked away. He shuddered as he thought of what that weirdo could be doing to her by now; her regular room was not too far off, after all. In truth, most of him wanted to drag her away from this place. But he knew it had been her personal choice to come here... and he had no right to say anything about something like that. The same more or less went for everyone else who lived here. He didn't ask questions, and in return, no one asked _him_ any either. It was like an unwritten law of sorts. For example, he never inquired as to how Tenten-_senpai_ had ended up here when he knew perfectly well she was pretty enough to have become a geisha.

He never dared ask what that annoying little _gaki_ Konohamaru was doing here either. Jiraiya had introduced him to everyone one day and ever since, Konohamaru had tailed Naruto, claiming himself as "the star's apprentice". Naruto tried time and again to rid himself of the little annoyance, but Jiraiya-_sama_ just found the whole thing amusing and even encouraged the little twit. He said the boy had promise and potential; he even had the _name_ for the place—a disturbing coincidence in Naruto's opinion—and Jiraiya insisted that if Naruto trained him right, he could become "big" when the time came. Naruto did not look forward to helping Jiraiya ruin another little boy's life. And so, he avoided him as much as possible. Speaking of which, he'd never asked how Jiraiya got into this business either. Of course, Naruto reckoned it was simply because he was a horny bastard... but there could have been other reasons.

There were always other reasons.

He also never asked Ino-pig (an "affectionate" nickname given to her by her best friend Sakura—another pretty one Naruto reckoned could do well as a geisha—which had pretty much stuck... with everyone, including, much to her irritation, her regular guests) why she stayed here when she could be living a happily ever after ending with the professional _shougi_ player Shikamaru. The _shougi_ player had lazily asked her one day if she wanted to get married. Sakura-_chan­ _always insisted that Ino-_buta_ only stayed here so they would remain rivals. Ino-_buta_ said that it was because she wanted "that damned Shikamaru" to _woo_ her a bit more. Apparently, "getting quite attached" to her was not reason enough to marry. If anything, she felt as if he only asked her to marry him because it was too "troublesome" to look elsewhere. Naruto laughed at the thought and wondered where Ino-_buta_ managed to get the idea that people like them had the luxury to be romantic.

He stopped in his tracks.

"People... like 'us'... huh," he said out loud, surprised at what he just thought.

Yes... _people like them_. They weren't normal people. They weren't allowed to fall in love, they had no freedom, they had to be soldiers in this endless fight to survive, "to live". They weren't allowed to feel hurt when they did, nor sad when they were—and they were certainly not allowed to _display_ these feelings. Hell, they weren't allowed human emotions at all... it would hinder their work, Jiraiya-_sama_ had said one day. It would distract them... and it would eventually and inevitably break them. The _Ero-sennin_ had been chastising Hinata for bursting into tears after her first job. Naruto sighed again, suddenly remembering Hinata and praying (to whom? He didn't know) that she was alright... Till today he still felt the guilt at having "deflowered" Hinata. Yes, it was guilt more than anything else. As far as he was concerned, it was as if he was forced to rape his own sister. He shuddered. He did not like that idea.

Even though Hinata had been understanding and kind, he still felt as if he had done something completely unforgivable. Sometimes, he wished they weren't given the opportunity to get to know each other first before having to go through with it. Perhaps that would've made the guilt a little less on Naruto's part. She was a good girl, he knew that. He was witness to that fact. For two weeks after they met they had had their meals together and they had gotten to know each other. Albeit, they didn't talk about their pasts, they knew enough about each other to be considered friends—friends didn't come easy in this world and he was grateful he found someone like her in this hellhole. But, that only made doing what he had been forced to do to her even harder and... more evil.

She was a good girl. She didn't deserve it.

"Naruto-_kun_," she had whispered as they sat awkwardly next to each other in their room. Jiraiya had gotten sick of waiting and told them to get it over with. Jiraiya had sighed and said this was the reason why he didn't agree with selling virginity. Not only was it hard on the person, but it was most likely hard on the guest too... well, that really depended on how sick and sadistic the client was, of course. Nonetheless, they were running out of time and they had better move it.

"Hinata-_chan_," Naruto had gulped. What was he doing?

"I... I... Look, don't worry about it," he eventually said, looking around and fishing for words in his head. "See, I've saved a bit of money. Did a few odd jobs here and there. It's nothing huge, but it might be enough for you to get a train ticket and—"

Hinata's eyes widened. "What are you saying, Naruto-_kun_?"

"Well, I've been saving up... so... you know, I could get out of here. But, right now, _you_ need to get out. I can't... I won't do something like this. No way in hell." Naruto stared at the air in front of him. Hinata was looking at him, a strange look in her eyes.

"Naruto-_kun_, I couldn't possibly take your money. It's yours."

"Exactly!" Naruto sat up and grabbed her shoulders. "It's _my_ money to do whatever I want with! You don't deserve to live a life like this... I won't stand for it. You have a family, don't you? Go back to them!"

At this, Hinata's eyes softened and she looked away. Naruto cursed.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Hinata... I..."

"Naruto-_kun_, you're too kind. You really are."

Hinata held both of his hands on her shoulders with hers and smiled a watery smile. Naruto was taken aback and started moving away, but her hands kept him place. "Hinata-_chan_?" he asked hesitantly. "What are you—"

She leaned in and swallowed the rest of the question with her mouth. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Jiraiya-_sama_ is waiting, Naruto-_kun_."

"Naruto-_kun_!"

Naruto looked up, annoyed, and scowled at the face that greeted him.

"Hello, _Ero-sennin_?"

Jiraiya grinned at him, face unperturbed. "You must show a bit more respect to your seniors, Naruto."

"Ah, so you're finally admitting you're a nasty, perverted _old_ man?"

"Nasty and perverted, I have to confess I am. But," he looked at him with gleam in his eyes, "You're as old as you feel you are, my dear friend. That's a good thing to remember."

"Yeah, well, I feel like I'm seven—"

"And you act like it, too."

Naruto scowled again. If Naruto weren't so indebted to His Highness, he would be more than willing to slit his throat with a chopstick, if such a thing were even possible. But no, that would not do right now. Maybe later when he managed to get out of here and free himself. For now, he settled with giving Jiraiya another evil glare which he figured was not as effective as it should've been because he was hungry. He probably just looked like he was going to throw up, if Jiraiya's chuckle was any indication.

Finally, Naruto continued making his way, after making sure to _push_ the old man away, to the eating quarters. There he saw Ino-_buta_ and Sakura-_chan_ huddled together over a hot plate. Ino-_buta_ was once again complaining about Shikamaru and his "women are so troublesome" attitude and Sakura-_chan_ was moaning about the lack of guys to fall in love with around here. All the guys she ever had to work with were jerks and she hated them all.

Naruto laughed again. Where did these girls get the energy to talk about their lives like that? It was really only natural all the guys she knew were jerks. Of course, Naruto was an exception and made sure to point that out when he sat down in front of them, ramen bowl and chopsticks in hand.

"Hate to break it to you, Hun," Ino said, chopsticks in mid-air, "The kind of guy we think is decent would be the kind who doesn't sleep around." Sakura grinned in agreement. Naruto moaned, half-amused and half-insulted.

It was times and people like these that allowed Naruto to enjoy life... even if just for a while and even if for just a little. He couldn't share anything with them, they hardly knew each other, but he enjoyed their company... their companionship. In a way they were important people to him. If they hadn't been here... if Ino-_buta_, Sakura-_chan_ and even Jiraiya... if their great cook Iruka—one of the people who really helped him out while he was still new, Naruto owed him a lot... especially in the stolen foods department—if Hinata weren't here... Naruto didn't know if he would've actually survived as long as he had so far.

After his late breakfast—Naruto hated these early morning women, they were _ridiculous_ as far as he was concerned—he began the journey back to his room. Fortunately, it was a Tuesday. Not too many people come during work days... particularly during the daytime. He sighed and rubbed his stomach, satisfied and full. Ramen had a strange way of making things seem so much better than they really were.

Closing his eyes, he started humming a random tune as he leaned back to feel the sun against his skin. He was walking through the garden, taking a shortcut, wanting to avoid contact with anything else human at the moment. To his left, he heard the familiar sounds of the kitchen which eventually made way to the quieter and more serene sound of the small waterfall in the east garden. He turned at a memorized corner as he made his way south towards his sanctum... and hit a wall.

Naruto fell back and hit his head on the ground which was fortunately soft. Cursing, he looked up to investigate what it was he had hit. The wall turned around and looked at him, originally with an annoyed and irritated face... which soon gave way to an amused one. Naruto was startled at first and stared at the face. He didn't know how long they looked at each other, but those deep, dark eyes seemed unwilling to let go of his own lighter blue ones. Eventually, Naruto grew aware of the sounds of money being counted and of hectic cleaning to his left and realized he was near the main building where the entrance was, in the southern end. He looked once again at the beautiful—it was the only word in his limited vocabulary he could think of to describe it—face and concluded that it was probably a customer. He stood up, patting himself, bowed and apologized for his carelessness. He realized that, for a woman, she was rather tall; they were almost the same height, and he considered himself pretty tall to begin with. He wondered why she wore such thick and dark clothing—about the only bit of her skin you could see was her pale, white face... and even that was shrouded and unclear because of her dark locks. It had quite a masculine shape to it, but was beautiful nonetheless. It had a strong air around it. Besides that, no one ever wore kimonos like those anymore—or was that a yukata? From where he stood, it seemed as if her hair was short but she could've just done it up like the latest fashion, he didn't know... nor did he really care. All he really noticed were those dark, unblinking eyes still staring at him.

They burned.

Suddenly, she looked away, nodded and walked away without saying a word. Naruto stared after her. He couldn't help himself. After a while, he realized his pulse had quickened to an abnormal pace and that he felt hot. He felt his forehead. Was he catching something?

- - -

Hinata sighed into her wet towel as she wiped her face. She looked up at the mirror and smiled at the familiar features she saw there. She traced her pale face with her fingers and picked up a droplet of water. Watching it hang on to her finger as she held it over the sink, she waited for it to finally give up and fall. She chuckled. That was the story of her life right there—just waiting for the moment she would eventually (and inevitably) give up and fall. She looked up at the mirror once again and continued examining her face. Her pale eyes, which were already emotionless for as long as she could remember, seemed to have lost even more of their lustre, if they even had any to begin with. She washed her mouth for the fifth time within the past twenty minutes, still trying to get the taste of the previous man out. After having had his way with her, he had forced her to throat him. He came while shamelessly fucking her mouth and she had nearly suffocated. It was disgusting. She was relieved when he said he had to leave.

She got out of the bath house and made her way to her room. Fortunately, she didn't have any jobs for the next while. She was really too tired right now and didn't think she would survive much more.

Hinata hugged herself as a wayward breeze passed by, chilling her. She shut her eyes as she recognized the familiar scent that the wind brought with it. Really, it was hard to miss.

"Naruto-_kun_..."

He had pushed her away, holding her back, pleading in his eyes. "Hinata-_chan_! No! Please..."

She was surprised and touched when he told her of his savings. Of course, she knew what "odd jobs" he was referring to. She knew he was trying to save up. She knew… because she'd started watching him subconsciously a long time ago. She didn't know when it had first begun, but she found herself always watching him from a distance now. Because of this, she knew how hard he worked. She'd always admired him for that... but she had no idea how kind he was. He was friendly, yes, but...

"Are you not attracted to me?" she asked. She was as surprised as he was when she did.

"No, that's not it," he looked away, a faint blush forming. "I just... I might not be able to control myself."

She smiled. He was too nice. "That's okay, Naruto-_kun_. I think that's just what happens normally."

She was probably going to fall in love with him.

He looked at her, shock apparent in his eyes. She kissed him again, placing his arms around her neck and leaning in against him. He tasted much different from what Hinata imagined he would. She always thought kissing him would be like kissing a bowl of ramen... but it wasn't. Well, not really. She shifted her position so she was facing him completely and was practically sitting on his lap. She smiled while kissing him as she felt his groin harden against her thigh. She knew this was just a natural reaction because he was a man and he was being cradled by a girl, but a part of her still cherished the fact that she was capable of eliciting such feelings from him.

Their kiss was gentle, experimenting. He didn't open his mouth so she settled at just nipping at his lips repeatedly.

"Hi-Hinata-_chan_..."

She started moving against him, more to satisfy her own sudden desire than anything else. She had no idea what she was doing—she'd never done anything of this sort before. She was just going with the flow, riding the wave of her emotions. She was just following her animalistic instincts. Her actions came, and she moved without thinking... as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was a strange feeling. It was new. It was... exciting.

Suddenly, Naruto moved below her. He bucked up, causing her to gasp at the alien pleasure she unexpectedly experienced. As she started registering feeling in places she never knew could feel, she suddenly felt embarrassed. She stopped kissing him to lean on his forehead, breathing hard. She'd never felt anything like it before. Was this... what it felt like to be... turned on? She moved against him again, experimentally. They both moaned.

As if he couldn't help himself any longer, Naruto grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down, placing himself on top of her. She was startled and her gasp made that evident. He buried his head in her chest and whispered her name. She barely heard it, but it sounded a little like pleading. And also a bit like an apology. This surprised her, but she held him anyway. The next thing she knew, she was screaming. Pain had seized her in her lower body and her eyes opened wide in fear as she realized what Naruto was trying to do. She gripped his back harder as she tried to fight her tears from spilling over her lashes. It hurt. It really, really hurt. She was breathing hard, pain wracking every nerve and threatening to black her out. Naruto looked up and his originally glazed over eyes suddenly made way to wary, worried ones. Hinata realized that she had started crying and tears were sliding down her cheeks. She tried wiping them away and smiled. She nodded at Naruto who looked at her now as if he had done something terrible. She wanted to tell him that it was okay. She moved her hip up, allowing more of Naruto to enter her, causing him to moan and look away. She winced at the pain. It was less now, just a throbbing, dull pain... but she had felt something break and thought she felt hot liquid pouring down her leg. Later, she found out that it was blood.

After Naruto had come—he was careful enough to extract himself before that happened—he had gone to the bathroom to clean up. She sat on the couch where they had just made love... or rather, had sex, Hinata supposed would be the proper term... and tried to clean up the mess her blood left behind. She looked at the blood that was on her finger and wondered if sex was really just like that. She couldn't imagine anyone _paying_ to experience that. She supposed, with the way he had moaned and gripped her, that Naruto, at least, had enjoyed it... but... it had hurt.

Suddenly, she realized another towel was helping her clean up. She looked up to see Naruto diligently cleaning the floor. She made to tell him he didn't need to when he shook his head. He pointed to the bathroom as if to tell her it was her turn, and continued his work. She watched him, a little saddened that he hadn't said anything at all, not a word, then stood up and made for the bathroom. When she entered it, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. Outside, in the room, the lights were dimmed and the window shades were down. Compared to that, the light in the bathroom seemed almost blinding and a little clinical.

She looked at the mirror and saw her tear-streaked face, and realized how horrible she must have made Naruto feel. She frantically washed her face with ice cold water, making quite a mess in the small sink. Looking down, she found her yukata had been stained red in areas. The sight made her feel... peculiar. She felt strange, different. Something had definitely changed in her. She wished she knew what. An unexpected tear escaped from her eye and fell unto the sink. She traced the trail left behind with her right index finger and watched through the mirror.

Something was definitely different.

Somehow, she imagined having sex would've been much different. She had, of course, read about it on several occasions. And people _paid_ to have it. Surely, it should have been more... _enjoyable_. And she was doing it with Naruto...

She paused.

"Naruto-_kun_..."

She embraced herself as a chill suddenly entered her body, even though the bathroom had no windows. What if Naruto hadn't liked it? Why was he so silent? They had shared something... something intimate. And yet, he had remained... so silent. Was he disgusted with her? She was the one who forced herself on him, after all... and she was the one who ended up crying. She couldn't stop the tears this time. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. She tried her best to soften her sobs and make sure Naruto didn't hear anything. She'd cried in front of him enough for one day.

Why was she so affected by this? Why did it hurt so much? The physical pain had eventually ebbed away, but something else hurt much more now that the ordeal was over. She didn't understand it.

In truth, she didn't want to.

She stepped away from the sink, and upon seeing the mess that she was, continued washing her face once again with cold water. After making sure her pale face had returned, she smiled. Even though it had hurt, she was still glad she had done it with Naruto. Had she had her first time with anyone else, she didn't know if she would've been able to stand it. Naruto had made it okay.

He had made it bearable.

She stepped out of the bathroom, and found the room empty.

"Naruto-_kun_...?"

Suddenly she was enveloped in an embrace from behind, and she smelt his familiar scent. She couldn't quite describe it, but it was uniquely Naruto's and from that moment on, she knew she would never, ever be able to forget that smell. She breathed in deep and smiled, his warmth enveloping her entire body and making everything in the world okay.

She loved him. She loved Naruto.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata-_chan_."

Her eyes shot open. She made to turn around, but his arms kept her still. Why was he apologizing?

"I'm so sorry."

With that, the warm body left her and all too quickly the door slid closed with a small click. She turned around and stared at the closed door, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. _Why had he apologized?_ She fell to her knees and sobbed anew, forgetting everything else and anyone else who might hear her. She cried her heart out, leaning on the ground, hiding her face in her arms. _Why had he apologized?_ To Naruto, it was as if the two of them were forced to do it. To Naruto, he thought he was forcing her. She cried as she realized the torment Naruto must have been going through. How... _guilty_... Naruto must've felt. How much of a monster Naruto must think he was. But what wracked Hinata the most was the fact that to him, it was purely physical.

Why did he apologize?

She had wanted it. She had wanted _him_.

She... loved him.

After that incident, things were a little awkward around Naruto. She smiled as best as she could, but her heart would not leave her alone. And it hurt her to see the guilty face Naruto would always look at her with. When they bumped into each other in the hallways, he would try his best to smile, but she knew the smile was different. It wasn't a genuine smile. She didn't realize how much she'd been watching him this whole time till she realized all the small, little things Naruto had started doing differently. No one else seemed to have noticed it, only she did. Her heart ached as she realized it was her who had caused this change.

More than Naruto, she should've been the guilty one.

Hinata finally reached her room and after shutting her door she let herself fall on her bed with a sigh. Things with Naruto had improved over the years, and he seemed genial once again, but there was still something different about his eyes when he smiled... his smile, even though it was often displayed, never seemed to reach them. Not really, anyway. She wanted to get close to him, but she knew Naruto would open up to her if he wanted to. She couldn't force herself on him... not again.

The knock on the door startled her out of her meditation and caused her to moan. Standing behind her door she said, a little loudly so whoever was on the other side could hear, "Who is it?" She didn't… shouldn't have any clients right now...

"Someone wants to meet you, Hinata-_chan_!" was the response she got from the other side. She recognized Ino-_san_'s voice. "And it's someone pretty damn hot, too!"

Hinata groaned.

"Thank you, Ino-_dono_. I believe I can handle it from here," a deep, even voice said coolly.

"Ooh! And he's courteous too!" Ino-_san_ giggled. "Have fun, the two of you." Hinata could picture her winking.

Hinata let out another sigh. She wondered where Ino-_san_ could have possibly gotten all her energy.

"When you're done," Ino-_san_ continued, her voice fading. Hinata figured she had started walking away, probably backwards so she could keep looking at whoever it was she was talking to, "I'm free the rest of the afternoon." And with another giggle, Ino-_san_'s voice disappeared. Hinata sighed and patted her hair, making sure she was presentable. She realized she didn't have her make up on, but oh well... there was no time for that. Jiraiya-_sama_ had said one of the worst things you can do to a guest was to make him wait. She slowly opened the door and looked up to smile at her unexpected client.

Her hands fell to her sides and she gasped.

"You look well, Hinata-_sama_."

"Neji-_niisan_..."


	2. Strangers Meet

_The Red Light District_  
**Genres**: Romance, Angst, Tragedy  
**Pairings**: Sasuke/Naruto, Neji/Hinata, mentions of miscellaneous others  
**Warnings**: Shounen-ai, yaoi, incest, adult themes, angst, lemon, language  
**Disclaimer**: Characters and names all belong to their respective owners.

**Language Notes**  
A _haori­_ is a hip- or thigh-length kimono coat worn to add formality; originally reserved for men.  
A _yukata_ is a casual, summer kimono; it literally means "bath/bathing clothes".

- - -

CHAPTER TWO – STRANGERS MEET

Naruto breathed in the night air as he took his routine evening walk. Looking up at the sky and noting how beautiful the stars were, he let his mind wander as he usually did—it really took too much effort to focus on any one thing for too long. And, besides, it was a little too depressing thinking about the present. Naruto liked being a happy person—in fact, yes, he considered himself very happy.

As far as he knew, he had grown up pretty much alone. At least, he felt that way. It was all he ever knew, after all. He remembered nearly nothing of his life before _Konoha_, and the only family he knew of was the one that was there. He knew he was fortunate to have run into Jiraiya, and he knew he owed him a lot—albeit, Naruto would probably rather hang himself before he admitted _that_. He had friends, important people whom he could trust. And who, in return, trusted him.

And so, even though he was alone… he was very happy.

He stepped on a twig and the cracking sound seemed to resonate through the whole garden. He paused. _He was happy_. He was fortunate... he had food, a roof over his head. People accepted him, liked him... wanted him. They acknowledged him and his existence. _He was happy_. That was all he ever really wanted. _He was happy_. Wasn't it?

Well then, if he really _was_ happy... why in the hell did it feel as if something was missing?

Naruto sighed. He looked down and bent over to grab an interesting looking stone. After observing it for a while, he threw it into the pond of koi fish on his right. The sounds of the koi fighting over the rock, probably thinking it was a piece of bread or something, drowned out the calming sounds of the trickling waterfall.

Naruto cursed his selfishness. There was something fundamentally wrong with him, wasn't there? How could _he_ of all people have the right to complain? How could _he_ dare say "something was missing"? If anything, he deserved to be punished. He was a monster. A demon. He knew that... more than anyone else, he knew and understood that. And yet... he insisted to be selfish?

Naruto sat down on the ground, bringing his knees to his chest and continued to watch the koi, some of them finally realizing that food would not be the outcome of the meaningless fight.

He was going to hell, wasn't he?

He shut his eyes.

She'd cried that day. She was probably trying to hide her sobs, but he'd heard them. He was standing outside the bathroom door, thinking about knocking and asking if she was alright, when he heard them. He'd heard her crying.

_She was crying._

And she was crying because of what _he _did. He'd wanted to embrace her, apologize and ask her if things could go back to the way they were... but he couldn't. He'd wanted to stay with her, do whatever she wanted so he could somehow make it up to her... but he knew whatever he did, he could never give her back what he took. In the end, he was a coward. He'd left her behind in that cold room. When he closed that door, he'd leaned on it and he heard her start crying again. He had slid down to the ground, tears forming behind his closed eyelids... he'd wanted to cry, too.

He was a monster.

If only he had controlled myself. If only he'd managed to walk away, or if only he'd managed to convince her... to stop her... If only he'd stopped _himself_ from... from... Oh god. If only... if only...

"Naruto-_teme_, you have a guest," Konohamaru's voice interrupted Naruto's downward spiral. Naruto smiled to himself, thankful for the distraction. He looked up to see the younger boy looking down at him with a less than pleased face. Naruto grinned.

"You need to watch how you address your elders, kid." Ironically, he was starting to sound like Jiraiya.

Konohamaru eyed him. "Who you callin' kid!"

Naruto laughed. Somehow, Konohamaru reminded him of himself only a few years ago. After dusting himself as he got up, he ruffled Konohamaru's hair, causing the boy to grumble.

"Now, now. Is that anyway to talk to your master?"

Konohamaru growled. "Just wait and see, _teme_. I'm going to surpass you one day," he shouted after Naruto. "Soon. Yeah... I'll be the star! I'll surpass you!"

Naruto smiled. Yes, he did remind him of what he was like four or five years ago. Konohamaru was loud and obnoxious, but he was a good kid and he had a kind heart which he liked hiding. He was also one of the most ambitious and determined people Naruto knew. In his heart, Naruto hoped that he would _never_ "surpass" him—it was not a fate he wanted Konohamaru having. Sure, it sounded great being number one and "the most sought after"... however, it didn't _feel_ very good. In more ways than one, really.

Naruto paused in front of the main building, prepping himself for the ordeal he was about to face. He hoped it wasn't someone too overbearing. He was rather tired and he wasn't exactly in the mood. He never was at this time, anyway. In fact, he was actually a bit surprised that he had a job. Usually, Jiraiya would let him have this time of day off, if only for an hour or two. Then again, there _were_ affluent guests that Jiraiya could never refuse—especially if they were scantily clad and long-haired.

Naruto slid the door to the main building open and stepped into the noise. He looked up to see Jiraiya writing on the big brown ledger, a tall woman with dark clothing next to him. Naruto stilled, and stared at the woman wide-eyed. It took him a while to realize his mouth was hanging open and he shut them, rather embarrassed. It was her: the beautiful woman he'd seen before. Once again, Naruto felt his heartbeat grow erratic. There was something about this woman that made him feel... different. An instinct told him she was dangerous; that something was not what it seemed to be. That same instinct also told him that this woman was to be his guest for tonight. He didn't know whether he dreaded it... or was excited by it. What he knew, however, was that he was definitely _intrigued_.

It didn't take long for Jiraiya to notice Naruto's approach and he welcomed him with a broad grin. He introduced Naruto to his guest who simply nodded without saying a word. Naruto didn't fail to notice that no name was given—just "your esteemed guest tonight". It wasn't the first time it happened; there _were_ women he'd catered to before that had reputations and the like to protect... however, for this particular woman, he'd wanted to know her name.

He was walking in front of her now, leading the way to their room. She had yet to say anything since they met—nor had she even touched him. This confused Naruto a little. Nothing of the like had ever happened before. Usually when women came to see him, he couldn't keep them _off_ him. There he was walking normally, and there she was _behind_ him instead of all over him. It felt just a little peculiar—really only because he was unaccustomed to such civility—as far as Naruto was concerned.

They reached their room, still with no word of conversation having once passed between them. Naruto opened the door and allowed his guest to enter first, bowing. She nodded her appreciation—or at least, that was what Naruto figured it was—and walked straight to the table in the middle of the room. She sat down on one of the cushions and looked around, as if taking in her surroundings.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder if the woman was a virgin. Maybe this was her first time... or something. Well, as far as he could tell, this was definitely her first time in a _brothel_. She didn't act like she knew what she was doing, unlike all the women Naruto knew frequented not only the _Konoha_. The strange, quiet woman continued looking around and Naruto saw her eyes finally rest on the stove and pot in the corner. Naruto shrugged.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked, more because of habit rather than actual concern for the thirst of his guest. The woman looked at him and nodded, still not saying a single word. It unnerved Naruto just a little bit.

He made his way to the stove and found there was already water in the pot. He started the fire to boil the water and opened the cabinet above the stove to get the tea. He considered asking the woman which kind of tea she wanted but figured he would probably only put her on the spot by asking her a question that couldn't be answered with a nod. He didn't feel like making the awkward atmosphere any more so. Besides, he wanted to have some green tea—he couldn't risk her choosing something else.

He placed two tea cups on the table, eliciting yet another nod of appreciation from his guest. A few minutes later, he came back with the teapot. He sat down and prepared her tea first and then prepared some for himself. He watched as the strange woman looked at the tea, blew on it, and drank it slowly. After a few sips, she lowered the cup. Naruto couldn't help watching her over the rim of his own cup the whole time. There was something about the woman that intrigued... that interested... him. Something about that woman drew him in—he wanted to know more about her.

She was beautiful. From where he sat, directly opposite her, he could not see her features clearly but he could tell she was beautiful. Well, it was more of a feeling than anything else. She wore what appeared to be a thick _haori_ over her dark kimono—her robes were all more or less black, lined with greys. It was strange to Naruto the way her skin seemed to be completely covered. Most women, when visiting a brothel, did not bother dressing up. They were satisfied with perhaps a simple _yukata_; something that was much easier to take off. However, all he could really see of _her_ was her hands and her face which was covered with both shadow and her long, thick, raven bangs—in other words, practically nothing. However, he could tell she had flawless, pale skin which probably extended throughout her entire body. But, more than anything, he wished to get a good look at her face. He felt an urge to push those bangs aside but stopped himself. He _never_ made the first move and he wasn't about to change that right now, regardless of the fact that he yearned to. It was strange… but he actually wanted to _touch_ her; if only to see what it was like.

Three cups of tea later, and still nothing really happened. Naruto was not one to complain, really, but... it unnerved him. It was fairly right to say that Naruto was not very attracted to a lot of women, therefore the fact that she wasn't all over him was indeed welcome. However, he still felt as if there was something wrong... if anything, it felt as if she planned on only having _tea_ with him this whole time. That… couldn't possibly be right.

He watched as she took a relatively long drink from her glass. She had strong-looking hands. They were smooth and pale like the rest of her—or at least, Naruto imagined it so—but they looked strong and... experienced. Naruto idly wondered what it would be like to be touched by those hands.

He paused, half-way through a drink. He'd never wanted to be touched by _any_one before… so it startled him to realize what had just gone through his mind. For a strange moment, it almost felt as if he'd wanted her.

Suddenly, the woman rested her cup on the table and stood up. Naruto stood up by instinct and was surprised when she bowed to him and started making her way to the door. Naruto stared for a while, rather speechless.

"Y-You're... leaving?"

She didn't turn around, but opened the door and shut it quietly behind her. Naruto stared at the closed door for god only knew how long. He wasn't exactly sure what had just happened.

- - -

He was holding a body in his arms. It wasn't moving. _Why_? Why wasn't it moving?

It felt like he was watching an old movie where the frames skipped every now and then. Everything was black and white, he couldn't really see anything, he didn't know where he was, and he didn't know who that body belonged to. All he was certain of was the beast that was threatening to suffocate him.

His breathing was laboured, he couldn't move—something was squeezing, strangling his heart. Then, something that closely resembled panic slowly started to surface. He felt beads of sweat slide down his forehead.

He said something. He wasn't sure what it was, but...

He was scared. Fear was gripping him, choking him.

_How in the hell should I know, dobe! My body moved on its own!_

Then, anger.

Pure, white hot rage.

Naruto tore his eyes open and woke in a cold sweat. He gripped his sheets and tried to regulate his breathing once more. It took him a while to finally calm down, and he fell back into the comfort of his warm futon, closing his eyes once more.

He sighed.

This was no way to start another day. He turned to his right to watch the sun rise through his window. It was beautiful today. He could see the pinks of the clouds, and stray beams of light through the rooftops of the rest of Tokyo. He sat up once more and leaned his head out of his window, breathing in the sweet morning air and letting the breeze blow all his nightmares away.

He'd had nightmares every night since he started living here, he was used to them. However, it had been a while since he'd had _that_ particular dream. He closed his eyes as he remembered the feel of unadulterated fury and hate coursing through his veins. He felt his heart start beating quickly and excitedly once again. The anger brought with it some sort of strength—a strength to seek revenge. He shook his head. He had no idea whether these dreams were just that: dreams. Maybe he'd heard too many stories as a child…

Or, perhaps they were memories.

If they _were _memories, what were they _of_?

_Who_ were they of?

Naruto sighed once more. He had no time to think about this. He had things to do... and people to see.

Soon, Naruto's daily duties took precedence and his dreams rested once more, as they always did, at the back of his mind.

- - -

Throughout the day, the strange woman was all he could think about. Had he done something wrong? Was she—god forbid—discontented? He'd never displeased a client before, nor had he ever left anyone unsatisfied. However, what bothered Naruto the most was not the fact that his pride and reputation seemed at stake, but the fact that he _himself_ felt somewhat... unfulfilled. As if there was something he should've done, but didn't. It frustrated him.

Naruto was spacing out, once again letting his thoughts wander off to a place away from the here and the now and was interrupted by the unmistakable voice of Jiraiya. As irritated as Naruto was, he couldn't help but be surprised to see who it was that followed him.

A few minutes later, he found himself once again sitting in front of the strange, black _haori_-wearing woman, drinking tea.

This time, Naruto didn't even bother hiding his confusion and stared pointedly at her, hoping that she would say something. However, an hour passed without anything happening at all. Naruto was ready to pull his hair out in frustration. What exactly was it that this woman wanted? A tea drinking partner?

The woman suddenly looked up from her tea and raised an eyebrow as if asking him why he was staring at her so. Naruto turned away, a bit taken aback by the sudden contact their eyes made. He never did forget those dark eyes—they were deep, as if they saw things no one else did and as if they took in everything around them. Whenever those eyes were on Naruto, he couldn't help feeling as if someone was looking at him without his clothes on. Something he was used to, of course, but it felt uncomfortable nonetheless. Naruto was mortified to realize he was blushing.

Then, a noise surprised him. He turned his head once more to face his guest, a look of complete shock plastered on his face. Had she just... _snorted_? Yes, it was unmistakable. His guest was smiling. It was a small, somewhat hidden smile—and one that resembled a smirk more than anything else—but it was there. Naruto's eyes grew wide.

As if realizing what she was doing, his guest started sipping her tea cup once more, perhaps to hide her smirk.

"Wh-What's so funny?"

Nothing.

Naruto sighed. "Look, I don't know what you're trying to do here, lady." Forget the training Jiraiya gave him, and forget politeness and courtesy. The woman was lucky Naruto hadn't jumped her in his frustration yet.

Wait. Jump her? Why would he want to do that?

"But, honestly, at least, say _some_thing to me."

Nothing.

"Well, you know, if _you_ don't start talking, _I_ will."

She brought her cup out as if to ask for more tea. Naruto obliged, watching her carefully for any sign of change. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Naruto scratched his head.

"Seriously, lady, you're the weirdest customer I've ever had."

Jiraiya would've been appalled to hear Naruto call her "customer" in her face.

She looked up and tilted her head, smirking and eyebrow raised, as if to challenge him. Naruto stared at her. Still, her face was shrouded by her dark locks, but the curve on her lips was unmistakable. Perhaps Naruto was only imagining her eyebrow being raised… but she was definitely mocking him. He could feel it.

Finally, he smirked back.

They watched each other for a while. Naruto didn't know why he couldn't look away... it felt as if she wouldn't _let_ him.

Then, all too suddenly, she rested her cup on the table, and stood up as she had the day before.

Naruto found himself staring at the back of a closed door once again. This time, however, his heart beat was irregular.

- - -

The days and weeks that followed were strange to Naruto. He never really knew when she would show up—sometimes in the morning, oftentimes in the evening—but she always did. Every day, he'd sit with her in that same room, doing nothing but drink tea. Eventually, Naruto had gotten bored of the situation and started the conversations himself. He got used to the fact fairly quickly that it was purely one-sided and that his guest, more than anything, seemed like she was mute. His client didn't seem to mind listening to him rant about his day. And, well, truth be told, Naruto rather enjoyed it.

"And so, yeah, that _shougi_ player I told you about before, Shikamaru, told Ino-_buta_ that he'd found (and fallen in love with, apparently) another woman who was willing to marry him—I think it was some dancer, something Temari or whatever—and now she's been acting all depressed and crying on Sakura-_chan_'s shoulder."

Naruto took a final swig from his tea cup, temporarily forgetting and neglecting all sense of decorum that Jiraiya had bombarded and plastered to his brain as a child.

"You'd think Ino-_buta_ actually cared or something. This whole time she was being indecisive and all. I'm really not all that surprised that Shikamaru person finally decided to drop his proposal."

Naruto paused.

"But then again, I guess... Ino-_buta_ might _really_ be upset, yeah?"

He sat quietly for a while, lost in his thoughts.

This was how they spent their three hours together, every day. Naruto talked about his day and his friends, while his guest sat down opposite him, drinking tea, and nodding whenever Naruto looked at her, as if giving him permission to continue… as if telling him that she was _listening_. Needless to say, it took Naruto a while to get used to the idea that someone paid—quite a lot of money, actually—to listen to him rant... but since she never complained nor said anything at all when they got into the room, he didn't mind.

In fact, unconsciously, Naruto grew to look forward to meeting his strange guest. It was really only with her, in that dimly lit room, that he could unwind and really be... _himself_, he supposed would be what he should call it. It had been so long since he last sat down, legs crossed and drank tea without worrying what his guest would say. It had been so long since he last just talked about what he felt and thought and actually be listened to. It'd been so long that, in fact, he could not quite remember when the last time _was_. No matter how he thought about it, it felt as if she was the first and only person to ever have listened to him like this.

Hinata-_chan_ and the others were excellent companions. However, he didn't feel as if he could _confide_ in them. They had problems of their own, after all. And he still felt much too ashamed to approach Hinata-_chan_ and have a heart to heart conversation with her. Perhaps it was because this odd woman was a complete stranger. He knew, though he was unsure how, that she wouldn't share anything he talked about to the one person that could get him into trouble—Jiraiya. He was also certain that nothing spoken of in this room would ever leave it. Yes, perhaps it was because she was completely unrelated to him and his world that he felt comfortable talking to her…

However, that was a lie.

If he were completely honest, he would have to admit that something about her and this whole situation seemed _familiar_. Rather than a complete "stranger"… she felt like someone he'd met before. Something about their meetings felt nostalgic. He couldn't quite put a finger on it... but it definitely felt like he'd done this sort of thing before. Somewhere... and with someone.

"What the hell!"

Naruto groaned as he lost his sixth game in a row. He couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow at the very apparent smirk his guest had. Perhaps playing poker with a poker-face like her hadn't exactly been the best of ideas after all. But, Naruto had felt lucky that morning—_had_ being the operative word, apparently. He had brought a deck of cards with him, hoping to break that quiet wall his guest placed around herself. She hadn't complained when he suggested playing a round or two—and now he knew why. If they'd been playing real money, Naruto would owe her two weeks' worth of his services. And, really, that was a _lot_ of money.

Naruto gulped, hoping she didn't think that they _were_ playing real money. He would never be able to explain it to Jiraiya.

"Okay, okay," he said, gathering the cards together. "I give up. You're the winner. Besides, I'm broke."

He sighed as he reshuffled them. "But next time, I'll win. I promise you that."

In response, his guest took a sip from her cup. As Naruto watched her, he couldn't help feeling as if she was laughing at him. A part of him wished he could _hear_ that laughter. Really, why? Why did she not say anything? He knew for a fact that she wasn't _mute_; he'd heard her snort that one time. That meant she wasn't mute, right? And besides, she was able to communicate with Jiraiya to tell him she wanted to see _him_.

That was another thing. She kept coming back to him—that meant she enjoyed her time with Naruto, right? He wasn't the only one having fun... right?

He almost chuckled. He was having _fun_.

That alone was rather amusing.

Naruto continued watching her and once again couldn't help but think how simply beautiful she seemed. Still, he couldn't see her as clearly as he wished... but he knew—or rather, felt—she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever catered to. Just thinking about it, his heart started beating erratically once again. He held his chest. What was happening to him? He was changing. For the first time in his life, _he_ wanted to touch someone… and not the other way around. For the first time in his life, he _wanted_ to be touched. But it wasn't just by anyone… but, by her.

He couldn't do anything though. No matter how he felt, she was a client—he couldn't do things that she didn't want to.

He stilled.

No matter how he felt? What was _that_?

He looked at her. What exactly _was_ it he was feeling, anyway?

She looked at him questioningly, over the rim of her cup. He suddenly realized he'd been staring at her for quite some time. He needed to stop doing that, seriously. Then, as she always did, she rested her cup on the table and got up.

"Leaving already?" Naruto piped up before he could think.

She bowed to him silently and made her way to the door.

"W-Wait!"

She stopped, but didn't turn around. Naruto stood up from where he sat and stared at her back. What was he doing?

After a while, it seemed as if she got bored of waiting for whatever it was he wanted to say. She reached for the door, but before she could open it, Naruto was holding her elbow.

"You won six times today," he said, trying to keep his cool. For the first time, he actually felt... _nervous_ talking to a woman. That was wrong. He was Uzumaki Naruto for crying out loud! He _never_ got nervous. This was ridiculous.

She turned towards him, but did not look him in the eye.

"I think you deserve a prize."

His hand moved to her chin. It was a strong chin, he could feel it—and the skin was smooth, like he'd imagined it to be. He wanted to stroke her cheek and push those obstructive bangs aside; he wanted to lift her chin up to get a better look at her face… but before he could, she'd grabbed his wrist and pushed him against the wall.

It was a while before his mind slowly comprehended what had happened…

Was he just _pushed_?

He looked down and was startled to find how close they were to each other. Their proximity, for reasons he did not quite understand, was intoxicating. Then all of a sudden, a cool palm covered his eyes, rendering him blind.

Naruto's mouth slacked open in surprise, and she took advantage of that by closing the distance between them and bringing their mouths together. The sudden contact surprised him. Furthermore, he couldn't move—she'd pinned him to the wall... and he could _not_ move. She was surprisingly very, very strong.

But soon, all thoughts blurred. She was kissing him open-mouthed, and he couldn't do anything but open his mouth _for_ her. Her tongue slid and danced in his mouth—over his tongue, under it, across his teeth and along his palate. She was exploring him, discovering him... and he couldn't do anything but let her.

His lungs started burning. He didn't know how long they'd been kissing, but it felt like it'd been an eternity—a blessed eternity of her overpowering him. He needed to breathe, but he didn't want to let go—partially because of pride, and partially because of the fact that she tasted so good. His blindness only caused him to concentrate on the electricity her tongue was causing to climb up his spine.

Eventually, he managed to move his own tongue and slide it against hers, but still _then_ she took control. She played with his tongue as both of theirs stroked and tasted each other, suspended between their open mouths. Naruto felt saliva sliding down his chin; he felt his heartbeat getting faster and faster. He felt his stomach tighten and he moaned as his lungs continued to burn.

He felt hot—he was burning.

Her tongue was enticingly erotic.

He was losing control… and she was the one making it so.

He—

She let go.

Naruto gulped for air as if he'd been drowning the whole time. In fact, he _was_ drowning—he was drowning in her scent, her smell... her feel. Her everything. It came to him that this was the first time they'd actually _touched_. He couldn't think about much anything else: he was too busy panting and gasping for breath.

In the meanwhile, her palm was still over his eyes. He wished more than anything to push them aside and really _see_ her… but he couldn't move. He just couldn't _move_.

She gave him a chaste kiss, and using her tongue to part his lips she reached for his tongue and sucked on it for a while. Naruto wanted to moan for the feeling that simple action gave him was almost unbearable… but he couldn't. He was too breathless. Then, all too soon, she let go of him again. The darkness disappeared and the door was closed with a quiet click.

He stared at the door, like he always did, still panting and still breathless. His eyes took their time adjusting to the sudden light, though the room was rather dark. His hand went to his chest where he felt his heart beating like he'd just run for his life. Beads of sweat slithered down his head, in his hair... and along his chest. He took another laboured breath and slid down the wall, ending up in a heap on the floor.

His hands touched his swollen lips and shuddered as his mind forced him to recall what had just happened.

Wait. What _had_ just happened?

"Shit," Naruto whispered to no one in particular.

He wasn't even given the opportunity to properly kiss her _back_. He leaned his head against the wall.

It was almost funny, really.

Uzumaki Naruto, the number one and most sought after gigolo in all of Tokyo, had just been kissed breathless and left a puddle of mush… by a woman. It would make the headlines if anyone found out. If he only had his breath in him, he would've laughed. Maybe.

- - -

Naruto shuddered as Gaara hissed into his neck.

"You've been looking rather happy the past few days, Uzumaki. Is there something you're keeping from me?"

Naruto pushed him aside. "Of course, I am, _aho_. What are you? My mother?"

Gaara chuckled and returned to his place behind the desk, reluctantly letting go of Naruto's waist.

Naruto shuddered yet again. He hated dealing with the guy. True, in more ways than one, he understood him; they were both orphans, after all—of the strange redhead, he knew at least that much. What he _didn't_ know was why Gaara felt some sort of special companionship toward _him_. Admittedly, he felt the same… it felt as if there was something the both of them shared; he just didn't know _what_.

"So," Gaara said, looking up from the big, brown ledger of names, "why are you so curious to find out who your recent client is?"

Naruto looked away, trying to hide an inexplicable blush Gaara, of course, did not fail to notice.

"Come now," he said, raising an eyebrow that wasn't really there, "she has been returning to you—and _only_ you, might I add—for the past four weeks, _every_ _day_. Am I to believe you still do not know her _name_?"

Naruto continued to give the west wall more attention than it really deserved.

"Amazing," Gaara chuckled. "Maybe women find it a fetish or something. You fuck her, but scream out a different name. Very exciting."

Naruto stared icily at him.

"Well, anyway," he said, closing the book, "what you are looking for is not here. But, I will let you know when I do find out something about your mystery woman."

"Thanks, Gaara," Naruto said, starting to turn away. "I owe you one."

"Yes, you do." Gaara stopped him, right hand latching onto his wrist. Naruto shuddered, and did not even bother to hide the fact that he did. Gaara merely smiled.

"You know," he continued, "you could always pay me back now, Uzumaki."

Naruto chuckled.

"Gaara," he said slowly and clearly, "I'd love to, but... you and I both know that whatever you do, you'll _never_ be able to afford even ten minutes alone with me."

Gaara's grip loosened.

"Dream on."

Gaara laughed under his breath. He was probably damning Naruto's arrogance right about now.

Naruto got himself free and waved good bye to Gaara.

"Uzumaki," he called. Naruto sighed. He wished the guy would just give up. "I know of all people, I do not need to remind _you_ of this, but..." Naruto paused and turned around, eyebrow raised.

"We are not allowed to fall in love, Uzumaki."

Naruto blinked. Of course he knew that. He laughed. "Don't worry about _me_, Gaara."

He walked away and Gaara watched his back disappear slowly into the garden.

To his right, Gaara spied a light _yukata_ disappearing into a room, dark locks trailing behind it. The redhead sighed.

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about, _aho_."


	3. Family Reunions

_The Red Light District_  
**Genres**: Romance, Angst, Tragedy  
**Pairings**: Sasuke/Naruto, Neji/Hinata, mentions of miscellaneous others  
**Warnings**: Shounen-ai, yaoi, incest, adult themes, angst, lemon, language  
**Disclaimer**: Characters and names all belong to their respective owners.

**Author's Note: **  
I do not claim to be a Japanese History scholar. Though I have done my own research, I am aware of the possibility of errors here and there. And so, please consider some of the history—those based on actual fact, that is—fictionalized.

- - -

CHAPTER THREE – FAMILY REUNIONS

Pale eyes watched from behind half-closed screen doors as a boy of probably no more than eight sparred with his father. Hyuuga Hinata could feel the grains of soil in-between her toes as she stood barefoot, shyly concealing herself from sight as she watched the strangely fascinating scene. Something about the concentration on her _nii-san_'s face intrigued her. Though it had always been a routine activity, it took her breath away every time she watched Hiashi-_sama_ teach Neji-_niisan_ the ways of _taijutsu_. As young though as she was, her seven-year-old mind could tell rather easily that the longhaired boy was indeed a prodigy.

Well, that was the reason she had often watched father and son anyway.

Now, more than a decade later, Hinata felt like a seven-year-old once again. From where she sat, she could watch her _nii-san_ conversing with Jiraiya-_sama_, but at the same time she knew she was invisible to them. She'd been staying in the same place for a while now... just watching them. She sighed as she leaned against the tree behind her and closed her eyes.

She felt like a helpless child.

A breeze brushed against her already cold face, but she did not mind. She opened her eyes to look up at the overcast sky.

Two years. It had been two years since she last saw Neji and, honestly, she never thought she would ever see him again. Or rather, she had hoped as much. And so, it had been an unwelcome surprise for her to suddenly find him at her doorstep three weeks ago.

She stood motionless, eyes wide at the sight before her. After all, in front of her stood a man she thought she'd long left behind.

"You look well, Hinata-_sama_," Neji said, though his face failed to betray any sentiment of well-wishing.

"Neji-_niisan_," Hinata gasped. _What are you doing here?_

"May I... come in?"

Hinata hesitated, unsure of what to do. She continued staring.

Neji tilted his head... and suddenly smiled.

"Oh, these?" he said, motioning to his eyes. "An interesting western invention—contact lenses. They take the shape of your eye and stay in place. Of course, as far as the public is concerned, they are used to correct optical defects. However, one of our optometrists found a way to make them smaller and then tint them. It was _chichi-ue_'s idea."

_Father_...

So this was why Ino-_san_ didn't seem to think the both of them were related—after all, the only common feature between the Hyuuga had always been their deathly pale eyes. As Hinata looked up at Neji's now dark ones... she couldn't help but feel as if she were looking up at a stranger. Ino-_san_ probably thought the same thing.

She blinked as Neji reached into his eye and took one of his contact lenses out. She almost let out a sigh.

No matter what changes their two years apart had brought to either of them, his eyes remained the same.

"Hinata-_sama_," he said, "may I come in?"

Though most of the time piercing and cold, his eyes looked into hers now, warm and brotherly. She felt her heart twitch.

Hinata stepped aside and allowed him to enter her room. Generally, this was not done. Guests were not allowed in their private quarters, however Hinata did not feel up to walking down the compound halls with Neji in tow. Her eyes discreetly examined him from behind. Within the two years they had been separated, he had grown taller... and stronger. And, Hinata was proud to say as a younger sister of sorts, definitely more handsome. She was afraid of what the other girls would start saying. Being found in a place like this was embarrassing enough, she didn't need Neji knowing exactly what it was like.

And she didn't think Neji-_niisan_ knew Tenten-_san_ was here either.

How had he found her anyway?

Neji stood in the centre of the small room, unmoving. Hinata wanted to offer him a seat, or a cup of tea... but no words came to her. Numerous thoughts were running a mile a minute through her mind.

How _did_ he find her?

Neji turned around and looked at her, dark contact lens replaced, "Hinata-_sama_..."

_Why_ did he find her?

"Maybe it's time for you to return."

"Hinata-_chin_!" Jiraiya called affectionately. "Are you alright?"

Hinata looked up, startled out of her memories, and saw Jiraiya walking towards her, followed by a man with dark eyes and hair. Jiraiya looked slightly concerned. She smiled her best smile and stood up, cursing herself for becoming careless. She had always been taught to show nothing but a happy face in front of her guests... and that wasn't about to change simply because it was Neji-_niisan_ in front of her now.

She watched the way his long hair swayed behind him as she followed him to her room. He had been coming back on a regular basis and knew pretty much where to go... They never used their designated room.

Hinata only wished she knew what he intended to accomplish by repeatedly returning.

She wasn't going back.

Not back there.

Not with him.

The Hyuuga house was no longer her home. _Konoha_ was her home... where Naruto was.

Her eyes spotted familiar blond locks to her left. Her heart jumped. Naruto was turning away from Gaara, laughing.

However, Hinata's _Ohayou!_ stuck to her throat as she spotted Naruto's troubled face—it was the face he made when he was seriously thinking about something. She couldn't help her eyes from following him as he walked away.

He hadn't seen her.

"Hinata-_sama_," Neji's voice came from far away. Looking forward, she realized he was already in their room. She took a breath and made an effort to catch up, wondering what Neji-_niisan_ had in store for her today.

- - -

"_Chichi-ue_ would be surprised if he ever found out where you've been hiding for the past two years."

Hinata stared at the expensive-looking hairpins Neji had placed before her.

"Buying me will not work" she said curtly.

He had been giving her little gifts since he first started coming. They were gorgeous little things—things she knew she would never be able to afford no matter how "hard" she worked. If anything, it irritated her.

Neji smirked behind his teacup. "I simply wish to give presents to my beloved first cousin."

"I do not remember you being such a bad liar, Neji-_niisan_."

"Are you always this cold to your guests?"

Hinata looked up, surprised. This was the first time he ever mentioned her way of living. For all intents and purposes, it seemed as if he'd been avoiding that particular train of conversation the whole time.

He was probably ashamed of her.

She looked away, choosing not to answer.

"Or am I different because I'm family?"

"I have no family, Neji-_niisan_," was her short reply.

Neji regarded her, placing his teacup on the table.

"Why?" his voice was soft, "Why did you run away?"

It seemed as if he'd been wanting to ask her that question for the longest time.

"I couldn't stay," she whispered. "I couldn't stay, Neji-_niisan_."

It was a family gathering and it was the first time she'd ever stepped out of her house. Five-year-old Hyuuga Hinata was standing behind her father, Hyuuga Hizashi, shyly looking around at all those around her. She did not see anyone her age.

Suddenly, a silence engulfed the room and everyone turned to the main entrance of the hall. All eyes were immediately on the father and son that entered, particularly the little boy: Hyuuga Neji—six-year-old son of the current Head of Family and the prodigy who would take over their family business when the time came. Everyone had high hopes for the boy.

Traditionally, wives of Hyuuga households did not leave their homes unless for family gatherings such as this one, and such family gatherings occurred, at most, twice in a year. The idea was to keep them safe—they were considered the weaknesses of their husbands, all of whom were soldiers. If they were captured by an enemy and held ransom, it would weaken the men.

It would endanger the Hyuuga.

Of course, not all the women of the Hyuuga became wives. Some of them showed strength that enabled them to train with the men, to be considered _kunoichi_. However, such occurrences were rare.

Similarly, children stayed at home with their mothers. Not until the age of six would they be allowed to venture out of their cribs—and then only because they were forced to go to school outside the compound. Today was Neji's first step into the outside world. This family gathering was Neji-_sama_'s Presentation.

Though it was the first time members outside of his immediate family saw the boy, everyone already knew how talented he was. Everyone knew he was a genius. They'd all heard of it—how he could easily recite the Hyuuga family values (which was a poem sixty lines long) by the time he was three; how he could throw a _shuriken_ and hit a target precisely where he was supposed to at a distance of 10 feet... at the age of four; and how he could destroy a practice dummy with a katana in less than fifty seconds by the age of five.

It was a fact: Hyuuga Neji was a prodigy.

The news of his birth was a melancholy and bittersweet occasion... or at least, that was what one of the _obaa-san_'s had said. Everyone had always feared for Hiashi-_sama_'s wife—she was a woman with a weak constitution and had been, as a child, always ill. No one expected the First Son to take her as his wife. However, he fell in love with her... and he did. After their wedding, everyone was afraid of one thing: they were all afraid she would not be able to handle a pregnancy—they were afraid she would not be able to produce an heir. An heir was as important as the air they breathed as far as the Hyuuga elders were concerned.

There had only been only one mid-wife during Neji's birth—only one witness to Hyuuga Hiashi's wife's death.

Hiashi-_sama_ was out on a yearlong mission at the time.

However, she had given birth to a son—a rightful heir—and that was something no one could ignore. The fact that his birth was only announced when Hiashi-_sama_ returned and when the boy was already a year old was easily forgotten. No one knew exactly _when_ he was born, but what happened in the Head Family's household was no one's business, so no one asked.

Hyuuga Hiashi had a twin brother who belonged to the Branch Family. These two brothers were close and shared the Main Family house—something that had never been done before. It was speculated that it was because of that that Hyuuga Hizashi grew attached to his brother's wife's sister. A few years after the marriage of his older brother, the Second Son took his younger sister-in-law's hand in marriage. She was a quiet, shy and caring woman—gossip said she was beautiful, much like the First Son's wife. However, she often stayed home to care for her sister and hardly ever left the house, even for family gatherings. Only those directly related to her actually knew what she looked like.

She was her sister's mid-wife.

It had been a surprise to many to find that Hyuuga Hizashi's wife had given birth to a daughter—a daughter they'd only heard of today. Many eyes discreetly glanced towards Hyuuga Hinata. It was strange that a five-year-old would be out in the open so soon... particularly at the Presentation of the Heir...

... however, it had been Hiashi-_sama_ who insisted on inviting her out.

Her mother stayed home.

He looked at her, his black eyes still alien as far as she was concerned. However, she knew they were necessary—the Hyuuga were famous. It would be controversial if anyone found out an heir was spending his time in the more... unrespectable parts of Tokyo.

Why was he even here?

"You still insist on calling me _nii-san_," he said finally. "I believe I told you long ago to cease that habit."

"Forgive me," she said, returning to an old practice she thought she'd forgotten, "Neji-_sama_."

_I told you. You don't have to call me "_sama_" like everyone else._

Neji sighed impatiently. "That just makes it worse."

She looked at him, smiling. "You're no better, Neji-_sama_."

_But, Neji-_sama, _it is not my place to—_

He looked up at her. "Finally, you're smiling. I was starting to think I was unwelcome."

Her eyes faltered.

"Never mind," he said, as if reading her mind, "I _am_ unwelcome, aren't I… Hinata?"

_I'm telling you not to call me "_sama_". It's weird._

Her shoulders tensed at the way he addressed her, bringing back unwanted memories.

He chuckled. "Is it really that difficult, Hinata-_sama_?" he asked, returning to his formal way of address, familiarity gone and distance returned… just the way it had always been since they were children. The way it had to be. The way she wanted it to be.

"Difficult?" Hinata wasn't sure what he was talking about.

Hinata looked around, tears in her eyes, unwilling to look the heir in his eyes. He was picking on her, wasn't he?

Seven-year-old Neji looked at her and handed her a flower. It was a small, white flower.

She didn't take it.

"If you call me _sama_," he said, not smiling, "I'll call you _sama_, too."

Never in her six years of life had Hinata ever encountered such a predicament.

"No!" she pleaded. "Th-that's... that's not proper Neji—"

"And I'm telling you it's not 'proper' to be calling me _sama_... It's already weird that people older than me are calling me _sama_..."

"But, that's because you're the heir and—"

"That's stupid," Hinata was appalled by his use of language. He looked at her. "Don't you want to be my friend?"

She looked away. She wanted to be... but...

"Neji-_sama_..." It was all she ever knew.

"Fine," he said, dropping the flower to the ground, "Hinata... _sama_."

She looked up, horrified to be addressed in such a manner.

"N-Neji—"

"I won't talk to you until you stop acting like I'm better than you." He walked away.

"Fine!" she called out. He stopped. "N-Neji... Neji-_niisan_."

"So difficult to address me by first name… like I told you to."

She looked away and a heavy silence soon veiled the room. Indeed, it was difficult. It was not her place to address him so familiarly. What he asked of her was nearly impossible.

She didn't answer his question, but asked one of her own instead, "How did you find me?"

That wasn't really the question she wanted to ask.

Neji leaned back and stared at the ceiling, accepting defeat. "I have to admit, it was a challenge—it took me two years, after all."

_But, _why_ did you look for me?_

Her eyes regarded him now, and he continued, "However, you weren't _completely_ thorough when it came to covering your tracks. I'm surprised you didn't change your name."

She smiled, amused. "Indeed, _Otou-san _would have been mortified."

"Especially because you are a promising _kunoichi_," he said, looking at her.

A slight pause, a forced silence.

"Hyuuga Hinata died two years ago, Neji-_niisan_," she smiled softly at him. "I'm just Hinata. I'm no _kunoichi_."

- - -

He came back again today. She sighed as she watched Jiraiya looking for her.

And no, she was not hiding. Not really.

Her meetings with Neji were soon becoming daily confrontations... and it was tiring. She didn't know what to do... his being here was making her remember things she'd worked so hard to forget and she did not appreciate it all that much.

"Hinata-_chan_!" Naruto's voice cried out of nowhere. She jumped from behind the bush. "What are you doing here!"

She shyly looked up, embarrassed from being caught in such a position. "N-Naruto... _kun_..."

"_Ero-sennin_'s been looking everywhere for you and—" Naruto eyed her. "Are... you okay?"

She stood up, brushing her _yukata_. "_U-un_," she stuttered. "I'm totally fine."

"Is it a customer?" There was concern in Naruto's voice.

She laughed it off. "Don't worry, Naruto-_kun_... it's nothing." _Absolutely nothing._

"A-are you..."

"More importantly," she said, trying to change the topic. "You've been looking really happy lately."

Naruto blinked.

"Anything special happened?"

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head with his left hand—it was something he did when feeling awkward or nervous. He'd been doing it since he was 16. Hinata found it cute.

"I-I... I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Oh?"

"Hinata-_chin_!" Jiraiya's overly joyful voice interrupted. It made Hinata wonder momentarily how much Neji was paying him for her. "I've been looking for you. Come!"

Naruto scowled at Jiraiya and Hinata spotted Neji not too far away. She sighed on the inside.

She smiled at Naruto, apologized to Jiraiya and walked towards her guest. A few hours later, a long time after Neji was _supposed_ to have left, they were seated in her room, at her table, having tea.

"Does he know you're alive?" Neji said suddenly, drinking his tea and interrupting the silence that had settled long, long ago.

Hinata looked up from absent-mindedly admiring her new teacup—another one of his presents. "I'm sorry?"

"That blonde man," he continued. "You admire him, don't you?"

Hinata looked away, blush immediately forming. Neji was watching her.

"Wh-what are you—"

"It seems as if living here has dulled your control over your emotions."

His glassy eyes were piercing her. Behind them, she could feel his pale ones studying her. Inside, she pouted. That wasn't entirely true... it was only around Naruto that she...

"You were trained never to show—"

But that wasn't the point.

"I'm not a _kunoichi_," she said, eyes levelling with him now.

Neji sighed. "You cannot deny who you are."

"I'm not," she responded. "I am Hinata—a resident of _Konoha_."

She paused.

"A prostitute."

She let the word ring in the silence. Neji was squeezing his teacup.

He was... ashamed of her, wasn't he?

"A prostitute," he repeated.

"Yes," she said, "a woman who sleeps with men for money. That's who I am."

Neji was staring at her now, black eyes emotionless. She wished she could see what his pale eyes looked like.

Suddenly, his eyebrow twitched and he moved. "Someone's coming."

"Wh-wha—"

Before Hinata knew what was happening, Neji had grabbed her and pulled her down to the floor, placing himself on top of her, but not leaning down or touching her. He looked into Hinata's eyes and she was forced to do the same.

A rattling came from the left and she heard the door slam open.

"Hinata-_chan_!" Naruto's voice sounded excited. "You won't _believe—"_

She heard Naruto gasp. "Oh shit! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were still—Ah! I'm so sorry!"

She turned her head to see him flustered and trying to close the door. She paled.

_Naruto_...

"Forgive me!" the door closed with a bang behind Naruto.

Her eyes grew wide.

N-Naruto! He... He'd seen her... in... in...

"Wait!" she whispered. She'd wanted to shout it out but her voice failed her. "N-Naruto-_kun_! It's a misunder—"

She paused.

Misunderstanding? What was she talking about? The reality slowly dawned on her.

To Naruto... she was just doing a job...

A job...

"How many?" Neji's soft voice pierced her thoughts. "How many men have touched you, Hinata?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide. His voice was shaking. It was only slight... but it was shaking.

He wasn't looking at her anymore.

"How many?"

- - -

The Hyuuga clan was an important support to the Meiji government. In a time of political unrest and foreign intrigue, the government relied heavily on the services the Hyuuga were able provide.

Since the early Edo Era, when the shogunate had established a rigid class system, the Hyuuga had been powerful in terms of politics and had military supremacy. The entire clan belonged to a special class of _samurai_: _shinobi_—assassins and experts of espionage. They were ruthless soldiers of the night, merciless killers and oftentimes considered murderers.

When the Meiji Restoration began, the _samurai_ lost their powers and privileges. The westernization of Japan had a negative impact on the ever-conservative and nationalistic Hyuuga. Compulsory education meant their children were forced to spend less time at home training in the _budo_ arts and _ninjutsu_, and spend more time outside, being exposed to foreign ideas and concepts. The elders of the clan were all concerned of dirty blood entering their gene pool. Arranged marriages between first-degree cousins were commonplace.

However, the Hyuuga were docile creatures. They adapted and took advantage of Japan's exposure to Western science. Scholars from within the family—doctors, physicists, linguists, scientists, psychologists—travelled abroad and brought back their acquired knowledge, bettering them at home. Though the Hyuuga were loyal to the old ways, the use of artillery and foreign technologies soon became popular among the younger generations. Ultimately, due to the times, they became _shinobi_ for hire. They worked for anyone who had the resources to find out about them and to compensate them for their services. It wasn't long before undercover government officials got wind of their superior military power.

Officially, the Hyuuga had nothing to do with the Meiji government. They were not hired by the government to spy on foreign dignitaries who stayed within their country, and the government certainly did not pay them to assassinate potential terrorists or to keep an eye on foreign military activity. Officially, Hyuuga Incorporated was simply a large family business—a _zaibatsu_—dedicated to the research and development of biotechnology. Whether biological weapons of terror were created within their factory walls or not, was classified information.

Officially, Hyuuga Hinata, First Daughter of the Hyuuga Branch Family, died two years ago.


	4. The Stage Is Set

_The Red Light District_ by arichang  
**Genres**: Romance, Angst, Tragedy  
**Pairings**: Sasuke/Naruto, Neji/Hinata, mentions of miscellaneous others  
**Warnings**: Shounen-ai, yaoi, incest, adult themes, angst, lemon, language  
**Disclaimer**: Characters and names all belong to their respective owners.

**Language Notes**  
-_oiran_ is the "polite" or "respectful" way of addressing an "escort".  
_kuruwa_ refers to The Red Light District.

- - -

CHAPTER FOUR – THE STAGE IS SET

He was bloody.

Very bloody—he had blood on his hands, on his clothes, on his face.

In front of him stood a longhaired girl. She was bloody too.

Then, it occurred to him that _he_ was the one hurting her—he was beating her… killing her.

For some reason... he hated her… _loathed_ her.

She had taken something very important away from him—and he wanted it back.

He needed to kill her, beat her to death.

More blood.

_Aaaaarrrggghhh!_

Then… she vanished.

Naruto woke up, once again, in a cold sweat and breathing hard. He looked at his hands, half-expecting blood to be there, but knew there wouldn't be any to be found. It had always been like that.

He took in a deep breath and sighed.

It was too early for the calming sunrise today—winter was finally coming in and nights were getting longer. Naruto looked out the window anyway. There was nothing else really to do.

He sighed again.

Thirteen days. It'd been thirteen days since he'd last seen her—since their kiss. He closed his eyes as he traced his lips with his fingers and allowed his mind to recall the way she'd played with him. Naruto felt ridiculous. He didn't know why he felt disappointed every time he found out she wasn't there. Perhaps he'd grown too accustomed to her presence. Perhaps he'd grown to enjoy keeping her company... perhaps he started liking the _lack_ of sex with her.

He laughed. No, that was ridiculous.

He knew for a fact what he wanted to do with—or rather, _to_—the strange woman and sex was a big factor in that, that was for sure.

But, he had to admit it was really quite refreshing to be around her. He liked not having to worry about the rules Jiraiya had made him remember as a child... and also, he liked the fact that he did not have to worry about pleasing her. She seemed pretty content about what they were doing and didn't ask for more—not that she ever said anything. That made him feel glad. He _wasn't_ just a sex toy, after all. He could start a conversation if he wanted to. He could _make _conversation.

He was... a person.

Naruto opened his eyes wide as he realized what he just thought. He pushed himself up and smacked his head on the window sill.

_We're not allowed to fall in love, Uzumaki._

He knew that. He didn't need to be told—he'd been living that truth his whole life. He wasn't falling in love with anyone. Stupid Gaara, jumping into conclusions like a... stupid... idiot.

Naruto sighed. He had to admit, if anything, he was acting like a lovesick puppy—and it was frustrating him. It was pathetic. He couldn't eat—he just didn't feel like he could stomach it; and he kept remembering and dreaming that kiss, most of the time waking up in the middle of the night thoroughly sexually frustrated and unsatisfied.

He groaned as he forced himself up.

She was a client, a customer. He knew that. And as such, there had never been a guarantee she was coming back. It had always been that way. She was probably at some other brothel right now fucking some other gigolo. All the women he knew were like that. All of them. He knew that. He did.

He knew that, and yet...

Naruto wanted to punch something really hard.

Just because she'd been coming back on a daily basis… it didn't automatically mean she'd be coming back _forever_.

He hated himself for even thinking about it at all. He didn't even understand why it bothered him so much. It was ridiculous. Hell, he wasn't even sure how she _really_ looked like. Her face had always been partially covered… and that one time when they'd been close together, she'd covered his eyes.

Why had she done that anyway? Why cover his eyes?

It almost seemed as if she was deliberately preventing him from _seeing_ her.

He cursed under his breath as his toe hit a stray rock. He was walking towards the eating quarters now, and he was not in the best of his moods. He was frustrated and annoyed.

Especially because, it appeared as if… well… he was actually _missing_ her.

And _that_ certainly did not make any sense.

He stopped short, spotting Hinata just a few feet away. Paling, he immediately made an about-turn and decided to take the long way. He wasn't very hungry to begin with anyway.

He still couldn't believe he'd walked in on Hinata like that a few days ago, and even now he still couldn't really face her. Not only was it extremely embarrassing for the client, it was _the_ worst thing one could do to, uhm, a co-worker.

Naruto sighed.

Though Hinata and he had once been intimate, that "one time" had been the _only_ time he ever saw her in... such a position. Seeing her like that brought back memories—memories he really preferred to keep deep, deep down inside.

---

Walking down the seemingly deserted catwalk, Hinata wondered where Neji-_niisan_ was right now. It was around the time that he usually showed up, and she was doing everything she could to enjoy the last few moments of solitude that she would be able to have before the inevitable awkwardness of meeting with him again.

She had to admit, she did not completely _detest_ their little meetings... they were just... uncomfortable. That was all.

"Ah!" Hinata cried, as she suddenly bumped into someone in front of her. "_Sumimasen_..."

"_Ara_," it was one of the older ladies who stood blocking her way, she had a sarcastic and reproachful look on her face, "Hinata-_oiran_, you should pay attention to where you're going."

Hinata did not reply, but merely kept her head down. She wasn't very fond of this woman.

"Nothing to say, Hinata-_oiran_?" another woman piped up from behind her.

"Of course, she doesn't," the first woman roughly pushed Hinata aside, walking towards the second woman. "It must feel nice, _ne_?"

Hinata looked up at this. _Feel nice?_

"Being an _itsudzuke_ and all."

"_Uso_!" the second woman gasped. "So the rumours are real!"

"How about we ask her ourselves," she turned towards Hinata, a smirk and a strange light in her eye.

Hinata had no idea what they were talking about. "_I-itsu... dzu...ke_?"

"Tell me, Hinata-_oiran_," the woman whispered, leaning in on Hinata. "When was the last time you had a guest?"

"Agari-_san_!" a voice from behind Hinata reprimanded. "I do believe that's enough."

"Ahh!" the second woman mocked, "Watch out, Agari-_oiran_! Tenten-_sama_ has decided to grace us with her presence!"

"Shall we leave now," Agari-_oiran_ said, "Kaori-_chan_? The Gods might punish us!"

"_Hai_, _hai_," Kaori-_oiran_ replied. "It's a sin to be breathing the same air of the most 'beautiful' escort in all of _kuruwa_, _ne_?"

Laughing, the two women left... Hinata could almost taste the animosity they'd left in the air.

"Tenten-_san_..." Hinata turned around to greet the black-haired girl.

"Yo," she greeted, a sweet smile on her face. "Hinata-_chan_. How are you?"

"_U-un_," Hinata whispered, eyes unwillingly looking away, "I'm okay. How about you, Tenten-_san_?"

"What's with that?" Tenten laughed, the ribbons in her hair bouncing. "Still calling me –_san_?"

"_E-etto_..."

Tenten was one of the more popular escorts. A rare Chinese beauty, many men were after her for both her exotic beauty... and her elegant body. She looked at Hinata now with a concerned face.

"Just forget those people," she said, waving her hand and looking annoyed. "Honestly, Hinata-_chan_, you're too sensitive."

"I'm sorry..."

"Aya," Tenten sighed. "That's exactly what I'm talking about, you know."

Something was still bothering her.

"Ten-Tenten-_san_," Hinata ventured, "what's... _i-itsu... dzuke?_"

Tenten paused, and looked at her, head tilting to one side.

"You honestly have no idea?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Then the rumours are probably not true. Forget it."

"But—"

"I said forget it."

"Tenten-_san_..."

"Those women were just jealous. There's this rumour that's been going around, s'all."

"Rumour?"

"Yeah," she said, gesturing for Hinata to join her for a walk, "that you've been put on hold."

Hinata stopped, eyes opening wide.

"O-on... hold...?"

Tenten didn't notice the way Hinata had suddenly stopped.

"Yeah. You know, it's when someone pays to make sure you don't get sold to anyone else. It'd be a boatload of money, too, considering how Jiraiya-_sama_ is like."

Something inside Hinata clicked... now that she thought about it; she hadn't had a guest other than Neji-_niisan_ for a while now...

Tenten was still talking.

"—no way it could be true, _ne_, Hinata-_chan_...?" she stopped and turned around. "Hinata-_chan_?"

Hinata had a horrified look on her face.

"No way..."

"I'm not sure, but..."

A strange look passed over Tenten's face, and she looked away. Hinata was still too busy trying to figure it out.

Suddenly, Tenten chuckled, "I... actually... kind of thought it was true, too."

Hinata looked at her, slightly confused. "What do you—"

Tenten gazed up at the sky, a melancholy smile on her face. She looked like she wasn't with Hinata anymore.

"It's... Neji-_kun_, isn't it?"

---

The sun was setting, the birds were singing... and Naruto's stomach was growling.

Sighing, he took his time walking to the eating quarters. Apparently, his stomach had finally reached its limit.

And sadly, Naruto was still in a bad mood.

He cursed himself for being depressed.

And he cursed himself for _admitting_ that he was depressed.

Did it really matter all _that_ much that it'd been... a long time... since he'd last seen her? After all, if he thought about it, he didn't even know her name—Gaara had yet to say anything—hell, he didn't even really know how she properly _looked_ like. More than anything, he knew he was probably just imagining how "beautiful" he thought she was... or how porcelain-like her skin would be all over her body... how on earth would _he_ know about her small, firm breasts and powerful fingers that would—

"Uzumaki," a voice said behind him. He groaned. Not now, please... he wasn't in the mood.

"Sorry, Gaara," he said, not stopping and not turning around, "I'm hungry and I'm sleepy. I'll probably bite your head off."

Gaara chuckled as if he wouldn't have minded Naruto doing that one bit.

Naruto groaned again—wrong thing to say, damn.

The redhead ignored Naruto's apparently foul disposition and persisted nonetheless, "It's about your mystery _woman_."

Naruto stopped, but still didn't turn around.

"The only thing I found was the last name," Gaara was saying, but Naruto's mind was only half-there. He was distracted and failed to notice the slightly mischievous sound in Gaara's voice. A few yards away, he spotted familiar hair and familiar robes.

She was here.

She was talking to Jiraiya.

Naruto felt like a weight had been lifted off him, but at the same time, it felt as if his chest would explode. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe. The last time he'd set his eyes on her was eighteen days ago. May he be damned for actually counting.

As he walked toward that familiar _haori_, he barely heard Gaara say:

"It's _Uchiha_."


	5. Rememory

_The Red Light District_  
**Genres**: Romance, Angst, Tragedy  
**Pairings**: Sasuke/Naruto, Neji/Hinata, mentions of miscellaneous others  
**Warnings**: Shounen-ai, yaoi, incest, adult themes, angst, lemon, language  
**Disclaimer**: Characters and names all belong to their respective owners.

**Language Notes**  
a_ kunoichi_ is a female ninja

- - -

CHAPTER FIVE – REMEMORY

Memories are troublesome things.

Though they existed in one's mind, the irony is that one cannot really control them. They always ran out on you whenever you wished to recall them… and yet always had that nasty habit of returning whenever you wanted to forget them.

They are just as easily lost, as they are easily made… and easily remembered whenever something triggers them.

As Hinata sat in front of Neji now, she wished more than anything to stop her mind from its persistent reminiscing.

_But… how did you know…?_

He sat in front of her, drinking his tea, his mind seemingly somewhere other than present in the now. She couldn't help her eyes from occasionally glancing at his face which was somewhat unfamiliar because of his alien black eyes; but handsome still, nonetheless.

_I've seen you two around... I'm not blind you know... _

And as she sat there... she couldn't help but remember.

_Tenten-_san_, Neji-_niisan_ doesn't know that you're— _

_I know. Though, really, it doesn't matter. _

She wished she could.

"Hinata-_chan_!" Inuzuka Kiba shouted, Akamaru barking beside him. The pedlar boy was making his usual rounds and had stopped in front of the Hyuuga compound, hoping to catch Hinata while she was taking a break from her training.

"Kiba-_kun_!" she greeted, hoisting herself up and sticking her head above the compound fence—a rather amazing feat considering the fence was at least ten-feet tall... but it wasn't something that was impossible for a _kunoichi_ in training. "Akamaru! How are you?"

"Okay, I guess," the dark-haired boy grinned his signature grin, "how about you?"

Hinata paused, but smiled. "I'm alright."

"You look awfully tired for someone who's alright."

Hinata looked away for a moment, unsure how to respond.

"That Neji bastard giving you a hard time again?"

She looked pointedly at Kiba. "Do not call Neji-_niisan_ a bastard. He's a respectable—"

"—Head of the Family," Kiba finished her sentence impatiently. "Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. You've told me plenty of times."

She blushed for a second before pouting at him. "I don't understand why you hate him so..."

"Maybe the fact that he's always picking on you is a good reason—"

"But, he doesn't _pick_ on me... he's training me and training is—"

"—important. Yeah, I know," he sighed impatiently, crouching down and patting Akamaru on the head. "I just... I don't know... dislike the way he's always so close to you and shit. And he makes you cry too..."

"... I cry because I'm weak."

"Stop defending the bastard. It's kinda annoying."

"Kiba-_kun_..."

"Hinata-_sama_," a familiar voice called out to her from behind. "I do not think your _taijutsu_ session for today is complete..."

"See?" Kiba insisted as he suddenly began to rummage through his bag. "What's with that weird way he calls you _sama_. I mean seriously, it's a little freaky... don't you think?"

Honestly, Hinata couldn't agree more. But, rather than freaky... it was just plain inappropriate.

"Kiba-_kun_," she said, getting ready to jump down, "I've to go..."

Of course, she wasn't going to tell Kiba that. It wasn't her place to make any such comments about the Heir.

"Wait!" Kiba shouted, finding whatever it was he was looking for in his bag full of merchandise. "Think you can escape tonight? I hear the fireworks at the festival are supposed to be amazing."

He tossed something at her. Hinata caught the small pouch and upon opening it, saw two beautiful silk ribbons.

"And I think these ribbons would go amazingly well with that light blue _yukata_ you have," he pointed to his hair, "just tie it here or something."

"Wow," she gasped, "I can't take these..." She knew silk was expensive. "These must cost a fortune and—"

"No kidding!" Kiba laughed. "But I'm giving them to you. So you better show up."

She wanted to but—

"Kiba-_kun_..."

"Hinata-_sama_," Neji's voice sounded once again, this time closer... and this time more like an order.

"Better go before your slave-driver of a cousin gets angry," Kiba rolled his eyes.

Hinata couldn't help but smile at his concern.

"I'm sorry. I doubt I'll be able to make it tonight."

She saw Kiba look disappointed before once again disappearing behind the Hyuuga fence.

Life at the Hyuuga compound was neither boring, nor particularly interesting. It just was.

Generation after generation came and go, each member fulfilling his or her own duties; sons and daughters swearing eternal filial loyalty; and fathers and mothers sacrificing arm and leg for the better good of the family—it was a simple idea, but not one that was easily accomplished. For Hyuuga Hinata, Second Daughter of the Branch Family, she had one purpose in life... and that was to be a potential wife to some cousin or other. At least, it was so in the very beginning.

However, when Hinata started showing potential in becoming a _kunoichi_, Hiashi-_sama_ of the Main Family showed deep interest. Eventually, the idea of her becoming the bride in an arranged marriage dwindled. This was, of course, a topic of intrigue for many of the old and idle ladies of the compound. Why, in heaven's name, would the Head of the Family be interested in a small girl who showed but the smallest potential?

Hinata's father, together with his twin brother, supported Hinata in her endeavours. She was, admittedly, a slow learner... however, she was a hard worker and she refused to give up easily. It was a surprise to everyone when Neji-_sama_ himself offered to help train her after school hours... on top of training with the others. The obvious favouritism for Hinata was a cause of jealousy for many, but at the same time, it was also a cause for fear. Though she was secretly detested by those who found it unfair that a mere _daughter_ from a Branch Family would be so favoured, none dared directly challenge her for fear of the consequences.

Neji-_sama_ himself was particularly fond of her... or at least, that was what Hinata had heard. Truth be told, she wasn't sure where that particular misconception had come from. As far as she was concerned, Neji looked at her with eyes that were all-knowing and condescending. Every time he looked at her, she felt as if he was tearing her apart and analyzing every bit and piece of her whole being... she felt naked and intimidated, often scared.

A part of her wished he would stop looking at her so.

"Hinata-_sama_," Neji was saying, eyeing her seriously. "You must take your training a little more seriously."

Her eyes failed to meet his as she positioned herself, ready to spar.

"I think you might be spending too much time with that Inuzuka boy."

She still didn't respond.

"He's but a pedlar and it really isn't—"

"—appropriate?" Hinata completed. Neji looked at her, slightly taken aback at her sudden outspokenness. She didn't usually respond. "Why does social standing matter so much to you, Neji-_niisan_? I do not think that just because he is 'but a pedlar' is a good enough reason for me not to befriend him. Kiba-_kun_ is a very nice boy."

Neji regarded her. "All he did was help you pick up the beans you'd dropped that day while you were shopping."

"And that was far more than what many others had done—everyone else just walked right by."

"One person does one kind deed, and you think he's a saint."

"That is not a very fair judgement."

Neji smiled. She hated that smile—it was a smile that said he knew everything. "You are really fond of this boy, aren't you?"

Hinata blinked. "He is a good friend."

"Yes," Neji said, finally positioning himself as well. "It is not often that you would talk so openly—however, whenever the topic of Inuzuka Kiba comes along, you seem to have a lot to say."

Hinata faltered, suddenly realizing what Neji was insinuating. "B-but... that's only because you would always—"

"Enough. Now, we spar."

She had refused Kiba's offer because she had agreed to train with Neji the whole night. They were scheduled to show their Fathers her progress tomorrow and Neji wanted to make sure she did well. Of course, he never said this out loud... but Hinata knew it was what he meant by ordering her to train with him.

Hinata did not _dislike_ her cousin. In fact, something about Neji drew her in. Perhaps it was the graceful way he moved when practising _taijutsu_; perhaps it was his long, smooth black hair that fascinated her; or maybe it was the way he seemed to see right through her, no matter how hard she tried to hide her true feelings... whatever it was, something about him interested her, and she wished to know him more and more. Unfortunately, they lived in two different worlds. All she could do was watch him from afar.

She did not know why... but she knew, there was something more behind that icy stone facade he put up for everyone to see. After all, she had seen it countless times before—his kindness, his gentleness. When they were younger, he had been more open and friendly. She remembered it all—the way he would stubbornly ask her to play with him... the way he insisted they were equal. When he came of age, he suddenly grew more distant. It was only during their training sessions that he would talk normally with her—at least, in the fashion that was considered "normal" for him.

"Do you like fireworks, Hinata-_sama_?"

Hinata opened her eyes and turned to her right. Neji was staring at the skies above, watching the faint pinks and oranges as the sun ended its journey across the dome. They were resting after a particularly intense sparring session, and both were considerably exhausted.

"Yes," she responded quietly, thinking of Kiba's invitation and the ribbons he'd given her, "I do."

"I think you've improved quite a bit. _Chichi_-_ue_ and _ouji-sama_ will be pleased."

She smiled at the rare compliment. "I... I hope so."

"Perhaps we can go to the festival."

Her eyes widened. Did she hear what she just thought she heard?

"You've worked hard and it really would be pointless if you exhausted yourself tonight."

"Neji-_niisan_..."

"You don't have to go if you rather not," he said, looking at her now. "It was only a suggestion."

She shook her head, a smile forming. "No, Neji-_niisan_, I'd love to," she replied, meaning every word. "I'd really, really love to."

The next day, Hizashi-_sama_, Hinata's Father, was unable to meet his daughter and nephew.

The cause of death was an accident that involved two automobiles crashing into each other; and just like that, Hyuuga Hizashi's life was cut short. He was cremated, and his ashes were kept in a jar to be locked away in some hidden room in a secret house somewhere in the Hyuuga compound. The ceremony itself was as short and simple as it was sudden. Only a few members of the family were present, and no one shed a tear.

Not even Hinata.

Most probably because she'd shed most of them the night before, in secret.

And she couldn't stand to look weak in front of the most important people in the Hyuuga family—particularly Hiashi-_sama_ who had been much like a second father to her all this time.

And Neji-_niisan_ was there too.

So, as they took away her father's ashes, and as she lost the last of her family, she promised herself to hold back the tears that were fighting to come out.

"Hinata-_sama_...?"

"Neji-_niisan_!" she gasped, frantically wiping her face, trying to get rid of tale-telling tearstains. "What are you doing here so late?"

Why? Why had she decided to sit in the garden?

"I should be asking you the same thing."

Hinata did not answer, but stood up instead, hoping the darkness was enough to hide her sad face.

"I... wanted to take a walk."

"You couldn't sleep?"

She hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. Lying to Neji would've been useless. "No, I couldn't."

"Me neither," was his unexpected response. "I still can't believe Hizashi-_oujisama_ is... gone."

The sentiment brought tears to Hinata's eyes again and she cursed her weakness.

"He was... a very kind man." Hinata knew he meant it. He was very loving toward Neji.

"Yes, he was," she said, feeling her tears returning. "I... shall be retiring now, Neji-_niisan_."

She couldn't be seen. He'd be disgusted with her.

"Hinata—"

"_Oyasuminasai_." _Good Night_.

A hand grabbed hers in the dark.

"You don't have to pretend to be strong all the time," it was a mere whisper. "Great _kunoichi_ or not, you're still human."

Fighting her tears was getting harder.

"You don't have to be caged by the Hyuuga family too. As far as you're concerned, it doesn't matter what _chichi-ue_ says."

"Neji-_niisan_..."

"It's okay to cry."

So, she did.

That night, Hyuuga Hinata cried on Hyuuga Neji's shoulders. Neji held her as she slowly fell asleep in his arms, and she never felt so protected before. It was a scene that would've have caused the Elders to gasp and the ladies to collapse in a fit of idle gossip. However, Hinata did not care.

It had been a long time since she was held that way.

When Hyuuga Hinata woke the next morning, she was in her room, in her futon... and alone.

And thus, the years passed.

No one really knew much about the strange, green-clad and fuzzy-eyebrowed man that often came to visit. He introduced himself simply as a Chinese man named Lee. Apparently, Lee-_san_ and the Hyuuga Heir had met each other while Neji was on a business trip in China. Lee was, at the time, coincidentally thinking of visiting Japan to see an old friend of his, and the two of them journeyed together. Neji, being the political Hyuuga that he was, invited Lee to stay at the Hyuuga residence—Lee was, after all, an important heir to a relatively influential Chinese textiles company. Though the rather loud and obnoxious man had refused the kind offer, he visited the Hyuuga compound regularly to "talk" to Heir.

Apparently, he was a _taijutsu_ enthusiast... and he found in Neji a perfect sparring partner. He would often be heard talking about his great Master as he did a round or five with Neji. The Heir never refused, and he didn't really seem like he hated the encounters.

Hinata knew it must have been refreshing for Neji to finally meet someone outside of the family with whom he could have a real conversation with. Hinata was happy for him... and she enjoyed watching the two of them spar.

"You're sixteen now, Neji," Lee-_san_ said one day. Hinata was watching them, as usual behind screen doors, hidden and in secret. "And your whole family is counting on you becoming some great heir, right?"

"Yes," Neji looked at Lee, "that is true. Why do you mention it now?"

"It's just a thought, but aren't you supposed to get married? You're considered a man now, aren't you? You need to provide an heir."

"I am not interested."

"In women?" Lee laughed.

Neji ignored the insinuation. "In matrimony."

"Oh come now," Lee continued, "it's the springtime of your youth, my friend. Surely, you must've fallen in love at least _once_."

There was no answer.

"Well then, I'll have to work on that, don't I?"

Neji regarded him again, this time with a raised eyebrow.

"There's someone I want you to meet... Or rather, I want your family to meet."

As she watched them, Hinata felt something in her stomach drop.

"Is there, now."

Why wasn't he sounding offended?

"Yes," Hinata could practically see the enthusiasm sparkling out of Lee-_san_'s eyes. "She's an amazing girl. Great with throwing darts and shooting the pistol. And, she's beautiful."

"You sound like you're trying to hook me up with someone."

"Good," Lee smiled. "It'd be bad if I didn't."

It was the day after Hinata had overheard the conversation between Lee-_san_ and Neji. Though she was fond of the funny man, she suddenly felt a strange animosity towards him... probably for the mere idea that he would bring a complete stranger from the outside world into the Hyuuga house and dare suggest Neji-_niisan_ to...

... not that it was any of her concern...

... in... any way. At all.

That day, she was training by herself at the back courtyard.

It was also when Hyuuga Hanabi decided to pay her a visit. The Second Daughter of the Main Family, she was Neji's younger sister. The eleven-year-old girl was athletic and agile. It was said that she had a lot of _shinobi_ blood in her—she was a potential _kunoichi_.

However, other than being exceptionally brilliant in throwing _kunai_'s, Hanabi-_sama_ was known for her sharp mouth and complete lack of delicacy. She spoke her mind with little regard for the feelings of the person to whom she was speaking. Perhaps it was because of her young age and naivety, whatever it was, she had a terrible knack at making things really awkward, and oftentimes offended someone. Of course, because of her rank and her father, no one dared challenge her... regardless of the fact that she was destined for the Branch House.

The thought of her nothing being a member of the Main Family had probably never crossed her mind even once.

"Why are you trying so hard, Hinata-_oneesan_?"

"Hanabi-_sama_," Hinata cried, slightly losing her balance as she turned to greet her cousin. "What are you doing here? Don't you have homework?"

"Finished it already. It's boring."

"I see..."

"You didn't answer my question," she continued, picking up the nearest _kunai_ and playing with it. Normally, one would stop an eleven-year-old girl from such an action... but the control she had on the thing was almost frightening. "Why do you train here every day? What are you trying to prove?"

"Trying to prove?" Hinata asked, reaching for the towel she'd draped on a tree branch. "What do you mean?"

"Are you trying to prove to everyone that you can be a great _kunoichi_? Surely, by now, you should know that they would never accept nor acknowledge you."

Hinata paused. She knew Hanabi didn't mean anything by what she said... but...

"I mean," the eleven-year-old wasn't stopping, "you're from the Branch Family, after all."

Hinata knew that... she didn't need to be reminded.

"Or, maybe," she said, throwing the _kunai_ towards the tree she was standing next to, narrowly missing Hinata's head, though she was not in the least fazed, "you're trying to get someone's _attention_."

"Someone's attention?"

Neji's face suddenly popped into her mind out of nowhere causing her to blush slightly. It was a ridiculous thought...

"Aha!" Hanabi crowed gleefully. "I knew it!"

Hinata looked up startled. She did?

"It's that pedlar boy isn't it?"

_Pedlar... boy...?_

"Oh! Kiba-_kun_?" Hinata was flabbergasted.

"Yeah, him," Hanabi nodded, "personally, I think it's ridiculous, how Neji­-o_niisama_ is paying so much attention to him. As far as I know, since you're from the Branch Family, it doesn't matter _who_ you marry. Right? It's not like anyone cares. They only pay attention to us, the Main Family people."

Hinata unconsciously squeezed the towel in her hand.

"It's really stupid how everyone keeps talking about you, you know," she said, a hint of childish indignation in her voice.

"Yes, it is, Hanabi­-_sama_," Hinata said quietly.

"Especially Neji-o_niisama_. He talks about you too much. And Father acts like he cares."

Hinata turned around, meaning to gather her belongings and leave. She couldn't stand much more of her.

"Does he feel guilty or something? For killing Hizashi-_oujisama_, I wonder..."

Hinata stilled, eyes widening at what she'd just heard. "What did you say?" she whispered, turning around to face her.

Hanabi looked taken aback. "What? You don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

The eleven-year-old girl looked up at her innocently. Suddenly, she smiled—a smile contained pity and amused condescension. It was as if she was pointing out to a three year old that the sky was blue and the apple was red, and not the other way around.

"That Hizashi-_sama_ was murdered."


End file.
